Beyond Egypt 2 Back to Reality
by angiembabe
Summary: The sequel to Life Beyond Egypt. Yugi and the gang are back in Domino and features their everyday adventures. How will they cope with new challenges without Atem. Will Yugi manage to keep his title as King of Games? Will Jonouchi win Mai's love? The main pairings in this are Peachshipping and Polarshipping.
1. Chapter 1

Did you all miss me? No. I thought not.

Anyway, because I had such lovely feedback for Life Beyond Egypt. I decided to do a sequel. Basically, it will, I hope, have some funny moments, embarrassing moments, a bit of angst, some drama, and of course, some romance. I did think about making a series of one shots, but decided to put it all into one multi chapter story. I hope it works okay, and doesn't jump about too much.

If you have not already read Life Beyond Egypt. I suggest you do. It will give some background as to what is going on in this story.

Warning: Some mild profanity, and suggestive content. Nothing bad though.

Enjoy.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2. Back to Reality.

Today was Tuesday, Yugi's first day back at school. He had taken Monday to recover from the jet lag. But his mother wanted him to take the whole week off, so that he could rest, and recover from the injury he had received in Egypt. Yugi argued that moping around at home would do him no good, he had already missed far too much school already, and was in danger of slipping behind with his studies. Luckily Grandpa agreed with Yugi. So, his mother reluctantly agreed to let him go back, on one condition, she would drive him to school and pick him up.

As Yugi got dressed, he sighed. In his opinion, his mother was being far too over protective. But he had to admit she was right to be concerned. He had not really thought about how worried his mother might be, when he had gone off on his adventures. He had been far too wrapped up in helping Atem regain his memories, and with the fight against evil. Yugi felt a bit guilty about it, but there was no way he could have told his mother the truth. What would he have said? "See you later mum. I'm just off to the shadow realm, to fight a huge demon." He almost burst out laughing at the thought. Luckily Grandpa had no trouble telling huge lies to keep his parents from finding out about his connection to Atem. They would freak out If they ever found out that he had played numerous shadow games, nearly had his soul fed to the Leviathan and stopped Zork from destroying the world, all while sharing his body with a powerful Pharaoh.

"Yugi? Will you hurry up? Anzu's here. We need to get going." Yugi was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his mother call out, from downstairs.

"Coming right down." He shouted back.

Hobbling to the top of the stairs, he noticed Anzu waiting for him.

"Morning Yugi." She waved, smiling up at him.

"Hey, Anzu. Check this out." He grinned. Using the bannister rails for support, he launched himself down the stairs, four at a time.

"Yugi!" She gasped, placing her hand over her mouth. Worried he might fall.

Keeping his weight off his left leg he landed in front of her. "Pretty cool huh?" He said, hopping on one leg.

Laughing, Anzu placed her hands on his sides to steady him as she gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Idiot. Just don't get overconfident. I don't want you to end up breaking your neck."

Placing his arm round her for support, he laughed. "you're as bad as my mum, worrying about me."

Anzu handed Yugi his crutches, that were by the door. "I would be a rubbish girlfriend if I didn't care about you."

Yugi smiled as they went outside to where his mothers Nissan was parked. He still couldn't believe that Anzu was HIS girlfriend.

Anzu thanked Yugi's mum for the lift to school and together they went into the building. As they changed into their indoor shoes, Jonouchi and Honda came up to them.

"Hey Yuge. Good to see you back man!" Jonouch said.

"Thanks guys. I need to get back into a routine."

"Helps take your mind off... Things.." Honda trailed off, looking tense.

"Its okay Honda. You meant Atem. Please, don't be afraid to talk about him. I want us all to remember him. He was part of Me. Of our gang."

"Yeah...He was. Thanks Yugi." Honda clamped his hand on Yugi's shoulder.

"We should hold a games night soon. In Atem's honour." Jonouchi added.

"Oh! How touching. Can anyone join this little dweeb reunion?" Kaiba sneered, approaching them.

"Grrrr. No one asked for your snide remarks. Kaiba." Jonouchi retorted angrily.

"Yugi! Keep your pet pooch under control? Or at least muzzle him?"

Yugi was about to speak when Anzu stepped in front of him. "Kaiba! That was unkind. You should apologize to Jonouchi?"

Kaiba let out a snort. "So. You have your little girlfriend speaking for you now, do you Yugi? I might have guessed."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Jonouchi was now in fighting stance.

Before Kaiba could respond. Yugi pushed between Anzu and Jonouchi. "It's okay guys. I can handle Kaiba. What are you doing in school anyway. I thought you had better things to do now?"

"I have. I passed all my exams a long time ago. Call it a social visit."

"Bull shit." Honda cut in.

Kaiba shrugged. "Whatever. Are none of you going to thank me for the loan of the Limo the other night? Mokuba thought I didn't know why he wanted it. I am not totally heartless you know."

"Well if you came here looking for our gratitude Kaiba, forget it." Jonouchi spat.

"Hey! Guys. That's enough. What did you want to speak to me about Kaiba?" Yugi said.

"I actually came here for a meeting with the principal. But I spotted you, and thought I would pay my respects. Believe it or not. Yugi. Your imaginary friend, was the only person whom I acknowledge as my...Shall we say, equal." He smirked.

Yugi could tell Kaiba was laying down a challenge, in a round about way. He met Kaiba with a smirk of his own. "If you want to duel me Kaiba, you only have to ask."

"Yugi?" Anzu gasped.

"Yeah. Yuge. Don't let him bully you into duelling. You're injured and are still getting over Atem." Honda said.

"It's okay guys, you don't need to worry about me. If I am going to prove myself worthy of being called The King of Games, without My Other Self, then I need to beat Kaiba."

"Oh, please. Spare me. I don't have all day to stand here and listen to you lot. Make your mind up Yugi. Are we, or are we not going to duel."

Yugi turned to face Kaiba. "Kaiba. I accept your challenge."

Anzu and Jonouchi exchanged looks. Anzu full of concern, Jonouchi full of pride in his friend. He winked at Anzu. "As a fellow duelist I understand how he feels Anzu. Yugi needs to do this. I have faith in him." Jonouchi thumped his fist on his chest to show heart. Anzu was trying to understand, but to her, it still felt like macho posturing.

Kaiba rolled his eyes at Jonouchi. "Once a moron, always a moron." He mumbled, before turning to Yugi. "Well it looks like you've grown a pair of your own. Yugi. You better be at your very best, because I won't go easy on you. I intend to take back what is rightfully mine. Seven o'clock tonight, Kaiba dome. Don't be late." With a nod of the head, Kaiba turned and left in the direction of the Principals office. Satisfied that he had got what he wanted. He had not even had to challenge Yugi outright. The little runt, eager to prove his worth, had challenged him! Seto Kaiba smirked. He would win and regain his title as the worlds best duelist.

"Why does Kaiba always have to be such a jerk. Did nothing Atem say get through too him?" Anzu had felt like punching him.

Yugi placed his hand on Anzu's shoulder. "Hey. It's not like you to get so upset, you know Kaiba only says those things to annoy us."

"Good morning everyone. Did I miss something?" Ryou Bakura joined them, just as Kaiba was walking away.

"Yeah. Kaiba being a noob." Jonouchi said

"Yugi just challenged Kaiba to a duel." Honda answered.

"Oh! Is that wise Yugi? You have just come back from Egypt and you are injured." Ryou fussed.

"Guys? Please. Stop worrying about me. I will be fine. Besides, I don't duel with my leg." Yugi was trying to make light of the situation, appearing confident. However. Deep down, he was wondering what on earth he had been thinking.

"I got faith in you buddy. We will all be there to cheer you on. You won't be doing this alone." Jonouchi added.

"Thanks Jonouchi." Yugi smiled, relieved that at least one of his friends, thought that duelling Kaiba, was a good idea.

The rest of the morning proved to be interesting. Yugi found himself the centre of attention. It seemed everyone wanted to know how he had been shot, and what it felt like. By lunch time he was a little fed up with all the attention. So he and Anzu found a quiet place in the library, to spend some time together.

Sitting down in a corner, where they knew they would be obscured from view, should anyone be looking for him. Yugi let out a sigh."Peace and quiet at last." He whispered.

Anzu snuggled up to him. "Yeah. Why everyone should find being shot so exciting, is beyond me."

"Morbid curiosity. I guess." He shrugged.

"Yugi?" Anzu sat up straight and looked at him. "Do you have to duel Kaiba tonight?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Well. I can't back down now."

"Couldn't you have given yourself a week or so, to get better. You are tired. Still getting over Atem, and you're injured."

"I didn't really have a choice." He rubbed the back of his head, as he always did when he felt awkward.

"You could have said you were busy tonight. Arranged the duel in a few days time. Maybe you could have chosen some easier opponents first. So you can get used to not having Atem with you."

"Are you worried I might lose? That I can't beat Kaiba on my own?"

"It's not that. I just don't want you getting hurt. I know you are really keen to prove you can win on your own. But Kaiba can be mean. I really want to see you kick his arrogant butt. I just wish you might have considered some easy duels first."

Yugi chewed his bottom lip and looked down. Did Anzu doubt he could win on his own? His blonde bangs fell forward and hid his expression. Part of him was still afraid, but he wouldn't show it. When he had confronted Kaiba earlier. His old self had told him to stay quiet, but he hated that part of himself, so he had responded in the way he knew Atem would have. He only hoped he had the ability to back it up without Atem there to help him.

Anzu could tell he was having his own internal battle, somehow she always seemed to know what he was thinking.

"I think you will beat Kaiba, but please don't hurt yourself to win. Turn the duel disks intensity down so that you don't feel the blast from attacks, or duel without disks so that you can sit down or something." She gently stroked his hair back from his face and kissed his cheek. "We should be getting back. Classes start again soon."

He tilted his head to meet her gaze. "Thank you Anzu. I will beat Kaiba. I promise. I have built a new, powerful deck, with a few cards Kaiba hasn't seen yet. My Other self had faith in me. I won't let him down." He clenched his fists.

Anzu smiled, she felt a warm glow flow through her body. This was her Yugi and she felt proud of him.

Their lips brushed as they shared a brief kiss. Pulling away slightly Anzu went to stand up. But Yugi held onto her preventing her from moving.

"Just a few moments longer." He smiled, pulling her into a longer, more passionate kiss. Yugi had his hand resting on her thigh, he could feel the firmness of her dancers muscles through her silky tights, sending shivers through his body. He slid his hand up the outside of her thigh and under her short skirt, his fingers brushed the edge of her panties. His face started to burn, embarrassed by his own forwardness, but somehow he couldn't stop himself. He could feel his heart pounding. He was half expecting her to slap him, but instead he felt her hands under his jacket, massaging his back. Their kissing was becoming more and more passionate.

Suddenly, they were startled by a loud cough along with the sound of someone slamming a large book shut. They almost leaped out of their skins as they quickly removed themselves from each other, faces pink with embarrassment.

"Mrs. Watabe!" They both exclaimed at the same time.

"Miss Mazaki, Mr. Mutou. May I enquire as to what you are doing? In the Library of all places!"

"Erm. err..." Yugi stuttered out.

"The library is for studying and reading books, is it not?"

"Yes Mrs. Watabe." Anzu replied.

"You both know that this sort of thing is forbidden on school premises?"

They both nodded sheepishly.

"Good. Then I shall be reporting you both to the school principal. I cannot allow such behaviour in MY library. Now I suggest that you both hurry along to your next lessons. Immediately."

"Yes Mrs. Watabe." They both replied. Anzu stood up first. Yugi had to pick his crutches up from the floor. He was so flustered that he almost toppled over and dropped one of his crutches. Anzu had to help him.

Mrs Watabe watched the pair of them leave. "Teenagers." She mumbled to herself. With a shake of the head, she went back to stacking books back onto the shelves. She was surprised it was those two she had caught in a heated embrace, they were among the better behaved students. She had always found Yugi a very polite and rather shy young man, not the sort of boy who seduced girls in the school library. She decided not to report them to the principal, the threat was probably enough to frighten them.

Yugi and Anzu spent the rest of the afternoon waiting to be called to the principals office. They were too embarrassed to tell anyone what had happened.

The afternoon proved to be just as eventful and embarrassing. They had a Biology lesson, and it was all about human reproduction. Every time Yugi and Anzu glanced at each other, their faces would flush. Not helped by Jonouchi, whispering rude and smutty remarks.

They were then divided into pairs, and given very realistic baby dolls to look after. Anzu and Yugi quickly paired up together. Jonouchi and Ryou were told to pair up by the teacher. Honda scored a result by being paired with Miho. He was quick to impress her with his parenting skills, having had plenty of practice babysitting his nephew.

"Why have they paired me with Jonouchi? I'm not a girl!" Ryou was indignant.

"I think you make a lovely couple." Honda pursed his lips and made kissing noises.

Jonouchi threw his baby at Honda, who ducked. The baby hit the floor and immediately started making a crying noise. The whole class erupted in laughter as Jonouchi rushed to pick the poor little thing up, by its leg.

"Arghh. How do I shut this thing up?" He wailed, shaking it, which only seemed to intensify it's screams.

"Mr. Jonouchi. Take this seriously. Or, get out of my class." The teacher yelled.

"Some help here, people. Please?" He went to shove the doll at Ryou. Who nervously took it and looked pleadingly at Anzu.

"I don't know what to do either." He whined.

"Here, you cradle it. Like this."Anzu shoved her doll at Yugi, who held it like someone had just placed a delicate glass ornament in his hands. It immediately started to cry. He almost dropped it in horror.

Anzu arranged the doll in Ryou's arms. It seemed to work, it stopped crying. While the one Yugi held out in front of him was now screaming.

They then had to practice changing nappies. Yugi found he was quite good at it.

"Wow Yugi, that was quick." Ryou was impressed. He was in a muddle with his.

"Well, I just approached it like it was a puzzle. It was easy." He said, proudly admiring his work.

"Yugi can be chief nappy changer when you two have a baby together, Anzu." Jonouchi smirked.

Yugi's face went scarlet.

"Any more smart remarks, and you will be wearing that nappy on your face." Anzu snarled. She looked at the baby Yugi was holding gently against his chest. He seemed to be getting the idea. She suddenly found herself thinking he would make a good father and imagined the baby with spiky Tri coloured hair. She could feel her face going red.

"Anzu wants a baby, Anzu wants a baby." The temptation to tease them was too much for Jonouchi to resist.

"Right, that's it. You are wearing that nappy." Anzu snatched the nappy from his hand and was about to chase him with it, when the teacher intervened.

"That's enough. Mr. Jonouchi, you are supposed to be eighteen not eight. Out of my class. NOW."

Mumbling to himself Jonouchi left the classroom and spent the remainder of the lesson sat in the corridor.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think.**

**I don't know why, but I was in a silly mood when I wrote the last part. The next chapter will be more serious.**


	2. Chapter 2

I gave myself a deadline to publish this chapter today (Thursday). I had it all typed up and ready. All I needed to do was look it over first. But disaster! No Wi Fi. We are currently on holiday in Saundersfoot, Wales, and the internet connection was not working. Thankfully, we have got it resolved.

I told myself that I would never attempt it. But, I have written a duel!

If it sucks, please be kind to me. I am not an expert duelist. Kaiba would probably describe my skills as 'deadbeat'. But I have tried my best to make it a good duel. If I have made any horrible errors, I am very, very sorry.

Also: I do not own Yugioh. All the cards used in the duel are cards that we have at home (We have hundreds).

* * *

The Right To Be King. Part 1.

The end of the school day could not come soon enough for Yugi. What an eventful day it had been.

Walking back to his locker to collect his outdoor shoes, he wondered if he should report to the Principals office to ask about their punishment, for being caught in the library earlier. What would he tell his mother and Grandfather? Yugi's face went red just thinking about it.

"Yo. Yuge. Why is your face all red?" Jonouchi wanted to know.

"Oh. Erm." Yugi scratched the back of his head nervously. "It's nothing."

"Meh heh heh. Must have been all that biology stuff earlier. I get those kinda thoughts all the time too." Jonouchi elbowed Yugi playfully.

Overhearing their conversation, Anzu intervened. "Stop being such a pervert Jonouchi. Yugi is nothing like you." She glared in Yugi's direction, worried he might let sip to Jonouchi about what happened in the library, and then imagining Yugi as a father. What on earth was wrong with her today?

Yugi noticed her expression and laughed nervously. "I am just feeling a bit too hot. That's all." He hoped it was a good enough excuse.

"Whoa. Man. You okay?" Jonouchi put his hand on Yugi's forehead. "You ain't sick are you?"

"Hey guys. Mr. Chono was looking for you Jonouchi. You had better get outta here before he gives you detention." Honda had appeared. "I gotta dash. See you for Yugi's duel later. My sister wants me to pick Joji up from nursery, there's only so much of that little brat they can put up with." Honda quickly changed his shoes and hurried out of the building.

"Did you impress Miho this afternoon?" Jonouchi called out. Honda pretended not to hear, he was not about to let on that she had finally agreed to go on a date with him, at the weekend. Honda grinned, feeling rather pleased with himself. It was about time he got lucky with the ladies.

"Do you guys want a lift home? My mum is picking me up in the car." Yugi asked Anzu and Jonouchi.

"Nah. I need to swing by the store, to pick up a few groceries." Jonouchi replied.

"Just you and me then." Yugi smiled at Anzu.

She nodded. "Looks like it. At least the teacher didn't make us take that baby home."

"Yeah. I was relieved about that. Class B were given theirs to take home. I heard one of the guys saying that he took the batteries out, so it wouldn't wake him up in the night."

Laughing about it, they went outside to where Yugi's mother was waiting for him.

"How was your first day back Yugi?" His mother enquired.

"Alright." He wasn't keen to go into any detail.

Yugi's Mum looked at him and raised her eyebrows. "So that's it? Just, alright?"

"Yep. Not much happened." He was not lying to his mother, he was just not telling her the truth. Something he had lots of practice at doing.

"A few people wanted to know about Yugi's leg, but apart from that it was just a normal day at school." Anzu added, with a hint of irony.

Upon arriving home. Yugi's Grandfather informed him that Seto Kaiba had called to say that he would be sending a car to collect Yugi, at Six Thirty. Kaiba was ensuring that he would not back out.

"May I ask? Why is Kaiba sending a Limo round Yugi?" Grandpa was a little concerned where Kaiba was involved. He himself had experienced Kaiba at his worst. He did not like that young man at all.

"We are going to duel Grandpa."

"Why did you accept his challenge? You have been through such a lot lately. Would it not be wise to wait a couple of weeks?"

"I challenged him Grandpa. I need to do this. I have to prove I can win on my own." Yugi looked at his Grandfather with a look of resolve.

"Then I have faith in you Yugi. Remember. Heart of the Cards." He winked and gripped Yugi's shoulder.

Yugi nodded. "I will. Thanks Grandpa. Will you come and watch me duel?"

"I would be honoured. I can't wait to see my Grandson kick Kaiba's butt." He chuckled.

Yugi hoped that his Grandfather was right.

The Kaiba Corp Limo pulled up at Six Thirty sharp. Yugi, his Grandfather, Anzu and Jonouchi were waiting. Honda had his motorbike and would meet them there. Ryou was unable to make it and sent his apologies. He was helping out as a first aider at a local sporting event that evening.

As they pulled up at the Kaiba dome, Yugi's heart was pounding and he felt like he had a massive lump in his throat. Boy was he nervous. But he also felt a rush of excitement and anticipation. It was the buzz that made duelling so much fun.

"Good evening Yugi. I see you have brought your little fan club with you. I am afraid it won't help you win." Kaiba led them into the arena. Yugi said nothing.

"Yugi will beat you Kaiba. So stop being a jerk." Anzu was feeling tense. It was Yugi's first duel since Atem had left and Kaiba's mean words towards them were irritating her more than usual.

Jonouch touched her arm. "Hey. It's okay Anzu. Yugi will let his cards do the talking. Won't you Yuge?"

Yugi nodded. Kissing Anzu softly on the lips. For his own comfort as much as hers. "Knowing you are here cheering for me, gives me all the confidence I need to win."

"Ahh.. How touching. Shame she will witness your utter humiliation. Yugi."

"Don't bet on it Kaiba." Yugi replied with what he hoped was an authoritative tone. His voice wasn't as deep and menacing as Atem's, but he managed to make it sound pretty threatening.

"Whatever." Kaiba shrugged.

They both switched on their duel disks and placed their decks in their deck holders. Yugi threw his crutches to one side, ignoring any protests his leg made. He heard Anzu gasp, so he glanced over in his friends direction and winked. Jonouchi and Honda gave him the thumbs up signal. Anzu had her hands clasped together over her mouth, she looked really nervous.

"Go on Yugi. Trust in yourself and your cards." Sugoroku added.

Yugi turned his attention back to the towering figure in front of him. "Lets do this Kaiba."

Kaiba nodded and smirked. As they both drew five cards. "Since you are going to lose. I will let you go first.

**Yugi 4000 LP**

**Kaiba 4000 LP**

Yugi ignored Kaiba's insidious remark and drew his sixth card. He could feel his heart beating hard in his chest. Yugi found it difficult to stop his hands from trembling as he looked at the card he had just drawn. Marshmallon. That would make a good start, he already had Marshmallon Glasses in his hand.

"Okay I play one monster face down." He set Marshmallon face down. "Then I play two more cards face down." He set Marshmallon glasses and the trap Waboku. "That ends my turn."

"Being cautious are we Yugi, might have guessed you would be a cowardly duelist."

"Don't listen too him Yugi." Anzu shouted.

Kaiba smirked. He already had one Blue Eyes in his hand. His smirk grew wider when he drew Kaiser Seahorse. It counted as two sacrifices. "I sacrifice Kaiser Seahorse, to play my Blue Eyes White Dragon. (Atk/3000 Def/2500) I'm not scared of your face down cards Yugi. Go my Blue Eyes, attack Yugi's face down card.

Yugi's card flipped to reveal Marshmallon. Atk/300 Def/500. Kaiba's attack bounced straight off, costing him 1000 life points. Yugi flipped Waboku which protected him from taking any battle damage.

"Hmph. Your pathetic pink blob saved you that time Yugi. Turn end."

**Yugi 4000 LP**

**Kaiba 3000 LP**

Yugi drew again. Brain control. "I play Silent Swordsman LV3 Atk/1000 Def/1000, and one face down card." He played Brain Control face down. He couldn't attack, he didn't have anything strong enough, just yet.

"I switch Marshmallon to defence and end my turn."

Kaiba drew another card. Sakuretsu Armour. "Blue Eyes. Attack his Swordsman." A pair of glasses immediately appeared on Kaiba's dragon, causing it to attack Marshmallon. The attack bounced off again. "What the!"

"Marshmallon can't be destroyed in battle, Kaiba. And with these glasses, your dragon is unable to see well enough to attack any other monsters." Yugi explained.

"In that case, I place a card face down, and end my turn." Kaiba placed the trap cards Threatening Roar and Sakuretsu Armour, face down.

Yugi drew another card. Old Vindictive Magician. Atk/450 Def/600. "My Silent Swordsman increases to Level 5." Yugi replaced Silent Swordsman LV3 with LV5 Atk2300 Def1000. "And then I pay 800 life points to play Brain Control, and take control of your dragon. Go Blue Eyes, attack his life points directly." Yugi would win if his attack was successful. He doubted it would be that easy though.

"I don't think so. Yugi. I activate Threatening Roar. My dragon will not attack. Me."

"Then I attack you with my Silent Swordsman directly."

Kaiba could not afford to take such a hit to his life points. "I activate Sakuretsu Armour. Your Swordsman is destroyed."

"I play a face down and end my turn." Yugi placed Old Vindictive Magician face down. Kaiba's Blue Eyes went back to Kaiba's side of the field. '_I need to keep calm, and build my forces_._ I know Kaiba will try to play his Ultimate Dragon.' _Yugi thought.

**Yugi 3200 LP**

**Kaiba 3000 LP**

"My turn." Kaiba drew a card and smirked. Now he could get rid of that annoying pink blob. "I play offerings to the Doomed. Your Marshmallon is no more. I also play Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4." (Atk 1600/Def 1000) Horus Attack his face down. Old Vindictive Magician was flipped. Yugi activated it's effect. "I choose to destroy your Blue Eyes White Dragon Kaiba."

Kaiba's Blue Eyes went to the graveyard. Kaiba set Monster Reborn on the field.

Yugi drew his next card. Skilled White Magician. Atk/1700 Def/1900. "I play Skilled White Magician then my Silent Swordsman attacks Horus. Horus went to the graveyard costing Kaiba 700 life points. Skilled White Magician attack his life points directly."

"I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Blue Eyes White Dragon. Counter his attack my Blue Eyes."

Yugi's Silent Swordsman was destroyed, costing him 700 life points. Yugi's Skilled White Magician gained one spell counter. The only card he had left in his hand was Swords of Revealing Light, which he had been saving. He had a feeling he might need it. "Your turn Kaiba."

"Because you destroyed Horus, I can summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 (Atk/2300 Def/1600) to the field. He placed it in attack position.

**Yugi 2500 LP**

**Kaiba 2300 LP**

"As an effect of Offerings to the Doomed, I am unable to draw a card this turn. He had the spell card Shrink, and his second Kaiser Seahorse (Atk/1700 Def/1650). All he needed was to draw his second Blue Eyes White Dragon. But it did not matter. he would win this turn anyway.

"Go my Blue Eyes, destroy his Magician."

"I activate Swords of Revealing Light." Swords appeared around Kaiba's dragon. He would be unable to attack for three turns.

"Hmph. Trying to buy yourself time. I end my turn."

Yugi drew Pot of Greed. "I play Pot of Greed. My Magician gains another spell counter." Yugi drew two more cards. Dark Magician (Atk/2500 Def/2100) and Mirror Force. He would need to be patient. "I play one face down card and end my turn." He placed Mirror Force face down.

"Not doing much with your three turns, are you Yugi?" Kaiba drew a card and smiled. Blue Eyes White Dragon (Atk/3000 Def/2500). "I use Kaiser Sea Horse to summon my Second Blue Eyes. It seems that I am making more use of your swords than you are Yugi." He ended his turn.

Yugi drew. He needed to make this count. At the end of Kaiba's next turn the Swords would disappear. Double Coston Atk/1700 Def/1650) "I tribute Double Coston to play Dark Magician. In attack." Yugi ended his turn.

Kaiba Drew a card. Pot of Greed. "I play pot of Greed." Kaiba drew two cards Dragonic Tactics and Luster Dragon Atk/1900 Def/1600) "I play Dragonic tactics to bring my third Blue Eyes to my hand then I tribute two dragon type monsters, Luster Dragon and Horus to play my third Blue Eyes. Kaiba now had three Blue Eyes on the field. "Turn end. Now the real battle begins, Yugi." Swords of revealing light disappeared.

Yugi drew Yellow Gadget Atk/1400 Def/600. "My Skilled White Magician now has three spell counters. I tribute him to summon Buster Blader Atk/2600 Def /2300. You have three dragons on your field and three in your graveyard. Buster Blader gains 500 attack points for every dragon card you have on the field and in your graveyard. He now has total of 5600 attack points. Buster Blader destroy one of his dragons and end this duel."

Yugi heard his friends cheer as he played Buster Blader. He cast them a quick glance and smiled.

"I play Shrink." Kaiba played the shrink card from his hand. Buster Blader's attack was halved leaving it with only 2800. "Buster Blader is destroyed. My Dragon is safe. Your pitiful efforts are futile."

Yugi also lost 200 life points. They were now both tied on 2300.

"I play Green Gadget in defence. I can then add one Red Gadget to my hand. He shuffled through his deck and took out Red Gadget.

"More low level fodder, waiting to be slaughtered. You are only delaying your downfall. Yugi."

"Don't listen to him Yuge. You can still win this." Jonouchi shouted.

**Yugi 2300 LP**

**Kaiba 2300 LP**

Kaiba Drew Polymerization. "My first dragon destroys your Green Gadget. That's all for now. I don't trust your face down card. You left your Dark Magician in attack on purpose. I will combine my three dragons to summon Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. (Atk4500/Def3800) He can't attack you this turn. Next turn you're finished."

Anzu gasped. "Oh no. Yugi!"

Yugi looked up at Kaiba's fearsome three headed dragon. He had faced it many times with Atem in control of his body. But never on his own. He felt a mixture of fear and anticipation. He still had Mirror Force, but Kaiba was not falling for it. He had to remain strong. This was his big challenge. His chance to show Kaiba his own strength.

To be continued...

* * *

**Will Yugi win or lose?**

**Find out next time in the thrilling conclusion to this duel.**

**Thank you for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

And now for the thrilling conclusion to the duel. Well maybe not.

Thank you to Aqua girl 007 and Startastica for reviewing and giving me advice where needed. I do try to keep the stars of my story in character as much as possible. However, I do get a bit carried away sometimes. So very sorry if Yugi and Anzu seemed a bit uptight.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the laptop I typed this on.

* * *

Back to Reality.

The Right to be King. Part 2.

Yugi prepared to draw his next card. He drew Black Pendant. He set it on the field to raise Dark Magician's attack to 3000. "I play Yellow Gadget (Atk1200 Def/1200 in defence. When he is on the field, I can add one Green Gadget to may hand. I end my turn."

Kaiba smirked as he drew. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon. I think I will destroy your annoying face down."

Yugi's Mirror Force went to the graveyard. He was now in big trouble.

"I knew it. Mirror force. Utterly predictable. Now your Dark Magician is completely defenceless. Go my Ultimate Blue Eyes destroy his Magician and most of his life points."

Yugi braced himself as Dark Magician was blasted into oblivion. The force sent a burst of pain through his injured leg, causing it to buckle. Yugi lost his balance and crumpled to the floor. He also lost 1500 life points, leaving him with just 700. As an effect of Black Pendant going to the graveyard Kaiba lost 500 life points.

"YUGI!" His friends and Grandfather all screamed at the same time. Anzu was almost in tears, she could not stand to see him being hurt like this.

"Come on Yugi. Don't give up." Jonouchi shouted.

"Trust in the Heart of the cards Yugi. You can still win." Sugoroku shouted.

Yugi looked over at his friends, giving them a weak smile. "I'm okay. I won't give up.."

"Get on your feet Yugi. Or are you giving up? I don't wish to attack a man while he is on the ground, but I will if I have to." Kaiba said.

"Not.. while.. I. Still.. have.. life points." Yugi replied, as he painfully pushed himself to his feet. His leg was screaming at him. He was also feeling slightly dizzy.

**Yugi 700 LP**

**Kaiba 1800 LP**

Yugi closed his eyes as he prepared to draw. _Heart of the cards. Please hear me? _Monster Reborn. He kept his face neutral, although inside he was smiling. He now had a chance.

"I play a face down, and end my turn." He braced himself, ready for Kaiba's next attack.

"Prepare yourself for the end of your reign as King, Yugi." Kaiba drew Battle Ox. "I play Battle Ox (Atk/1700 Def/1000). And use it to destroy Yellow Gadget. Now my Ultimate Dragon, attack Yugi, directly." Kaiba could feel his heart beating with excitement. He had won. Without that pompous Pharaoh, Yugi was no match for him. Kaiba was so carried away with his victory, he had completely forgotten that Yugi had played a face down.

"I play Monster Reborn, to bring back Buster Blader. You have a total of seven dragons. Six in your graveyard, plus your Ultimate Blue Eyes on the field. Buster Blader gains 500 attack points, for each dragon, giving him an extra 3500. That gives him a total of 6100 attack points, your Ultimate Dragon is destroyed and you lose 1600 life points."

Kaiba shielded his eyes as his dragon exploded. "I can do the maths, Yugi." He growled.

**Yugi 700 LP**

**Kaiba 200 LP**

"Way to go Yugi." Jonouchi shouted.

Honda pumped his fist. "Yeah!"

"Oh. Yugi." Anzu felt a wave of happiness wash over her.

"That's my Yugi. Now win this duel." Sugoroku exclaimed.

"Your turn Yugi. Finish it." Kaiba hissed, looking Yugi straight in the eyes. Kaiba had no more cards in his hand, there was nothing he could do.

Yugi nodded and drew his card. Dark Magician Girl. He smiled, he wouldn't be needing her help in this duel.

"Buster Blader Destroy the rest of Kaiba's life points." Kaiba braced himself, as, Buster Blader with 6100 attack points, blasted him. He stood firm as the shock wave hit, reducing him to negative life points.

"No.. Seto!". Mokuba had just arrived. Running up to where his brother stood, he threw his arms around him.

Kaiba shut off his duel disk. "It's okay, Mokuba." He looked across to Yugi. "Congratulations, Yugi. You win. This time."

Yugi shut off his own duel disk. "Thank you, Kaiba." He was finding it hard to stand up. His leg was hurting like crazy, making him feel clammy, and slightly nauseas. He desperately needed to sit down. Luckily his friends came running up to congratulate him. Jonouchi reached him first. He was so excited that he failed to notice Yugi's discomfort. Throwing his arm round Yugi's neck he playfully ruffled Yugi's hair. "Way to go little buddy. That ought to shut old money bags up for a while."

"Hey! Give him some air." Honda noticed Yugi looked a bit pale.

"Yugi, are you okay?" Anzu placed her hand on Yugi's cheek as she bent to look at his face. Yugi grimaced. Is head wedged under Jonouchi's arm.

Yugi gripped Jonouchi's arm with his free hand, and gripped the back of his jacket with the other as he felt his legs give way. Jonouchi felt Yugi collapsing against him, he quickly released him from his grip and held him up. "Sorry Yuge. What's wrong buddy?"

"Kaiba. Can someone get Yugi a drink of water? And a chair, so he can sit down." Suguroku turned to the Kaiba brothers.

"Hmph. That's not the way a victorious duelist should behave." Seto Kaiba was not impressed. He thought Yugi was being pathetic.

"Don't be like that Seto. Yugi has been through a lot in the last week. You shouldn't have made him duel you. And why didn't you bother tell me about the duel." Mokuba was feeling rather upset, he had returned home from the arcade, only to find out from Roland that Seto was duelling Yugi. He went over to Yugi and his friends. "Do you need a doctor Yugi?"

"No. I will be fine. Thank you for your concern Mokuba. I just need to rest."

Kaiba rolled his eyes and sighed. "Help him over to the cafe area. He can rest there for a while. And for the record, Mokuba. Yugi challenged me."

Honda and Jonouchi, carried Yugi between them, to the cafe area, while Anzu picked up his crutches. Yugi's Grandfather helped Yugi take his duel disk off his arm and carried it for him.

Mokuba gave Yugi a drink of water, along with some pain killers.

After around ten minutes, or so, Yugi perked up a little. "Thanks everyone. I feel much better now. That was a great duel, Kaiba."

"No it wasn't. I lost. And you can spare me the lecture, I don't need it." A smirk crossed his features. "I will add you to the small list of, privileged people, I view as worthy opponents. You should consider it an honour." He then surprised everyone by offering Yugi a handshake.

Yugi pushed himself to stand, and accepted. "Thank you, Kaiba." He wished Atem could be here to witness this.

"Don't any of you ever breathe a word of this to anyone. I don't want people to think I have gone soft. And don't mistake it as an offer of friendship either." He hissed, sending each of them a death glare.

"We won't." Yugi help but smile.

Mokuba was grinning too. His big brother had just demonstrated a hint of humility. Not that Kaiba would ever call it that! Mokuba swelled with pride for Seto. He always knew that underneath the icy, hardened exterior, was a soft centre.

* * *

During the drive home, Yugi was too exhausted to say anything much. Jonouchi's excitement made up for it. He could not stop talking. Yugi found himself zoning out until everything just sounded like background noise.

Anzu also sat deep in thought, quietly clutching his hand. She felt so proud of him. Yugi had followed in Atem's footsteps for so long, but was now proving just how strong he had become. Anzu remembered when he had told her that he wasn't good enough for her because he was too weak. Yugi had promised her that one day, he would be strong enough to take care of her. She turned her gaze lovingly towards him. He had kept that promise.

The Kaiba Limo, dropped them off outside the Game shop. Sugoroku unlocked the door and they all stepped inside the entrance.

"Are you sure you're okay Yugi?" Anzu said as they bade each other good night.

"I will be fine after a good night sleep."

"I will walk Anzu home Yugi. See you tomorrow. King of Games." Jonouchi grinned.

"Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you all there."

"Modest as ever, Yugi." Anzu said kissing him. "Will you go to school tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Of course I will."

"Ok. We can go together. Shall I come round at eight?"

"Yeah. Sure. See you then." He whispered. "I love you." Hoping only Anzu would hear.

Unfortunately, Jonouchi overheard. "I Love you too Yugi." Jonouchi said in a silly girly voice.

"Permission to hit Jonouchi on the way home please?" Anzu requested.

They all laughed.

"Good night Mr Mutou." Anzu said to Yugi's Grandfather, who was locking the security cabinets that he had forgotten to do earlier.

"Yeah.. Night Gramps." Jonouchi added. Anzu chased him out onto the street. "Arghh. Heelllp. Someone save me." He shrieked playfully as Anzu chased after him.

Yugi smiled. He felt really happy to have such fantastic friends.

Sugoroku shook his head and chuckled at their behaviour. "Come on Yugi? Lets go and get some supper."

Yugi struggled up the stairs. His mother was waiting for them. She was concerned at how tired Yugi looked.

"Where on earth have you two been? I tried to ring you. Neither of you had your phones with you." She said angrily holding up two mobile phones.

"Sorry." They both said sheepishly.

"If you have been corrupting my son, by taking him gambling. I will not be happy. And as for you Yugi. You are grounded, for a month."

"Aww. WHAT? Mum. That's not fair."

"You have a bad leg Yugi. You look washed out. and I am worried about you. I don't want you going out, except for school. Until your leg is better. Is that clear?"

Sugoroku opened his mouth to speak up and defend Yugi. Yugi's mother shot him a don't interfere, look. "Oooh. Dinner smells delicious. We are starving. Aren't we Yugi?" He said instead.

Come to think of it Yugi was ravenous. His mothers cooking was just what he needed. "I'm sorry that we forgot to tell you where we were. Grandpa didn't take me gambling. We were playing Duel Monsters with friends. That's all." He gave her a sweet smile, the one he always used when his mother was angry with him. His mothers stern expression immediately melted away.

"Sit down you two. I will serve dinner." It was a little after nine o'clock in the evening. Later than they usually ate. Luckily the nourishing soup she had made, with Sea vegetables, Shitake mushrooms and shredded chicken, had not spoiled. She placed noodles into bowls and poured the soup over them. Yugi had two helpings. It suddenly occurred too him that part of the reason he had felt unwell earlier, was probably due to hunger. He had not eaten since lunch time.

Feeling comfortably full and rather sleepy, Yugi asked to be excused. He went up to his room and stripped down to his boxers. He flopped onto the bed, with the intention of taking a nice relaxing bath before going to bed. However, within a few moments of laying down, Yugi was fast asleep.

* * *

The following week, was crazy. Expecting a glorious victory over Yugi, Kaiba had live streamed the duel on the internet. Now it had gone viral. Suddenly, duel monsters and Yugi in particular seemed to have even more fans than ever. Kaiba decided to keep a low profile, Disappearing out of the spotlight and immersing himself in work. He also had plenty of security staff to keep reporters away from him.

Today was Saturday. Yugi sat at the breakfast table, reading the newspaper article about himself. Unlike Kaiba he had not been able to escape the media spotlight. He found himself mobbed every time he tried to go to school. People either would demand a duel, or a photograph. Newspaper reporters also had been asking for interviews. At first Yugi refused, but eventually gave in, hoping they would leave him alone, if he agreed to do a feature. Thanks to Grandpa, who had appointed himself Yugi's manager, he had been paid enough to get him through university. Yugi had been reluctant at first, but the lady reporter had been really nice and friendly and had helped him overcome his nerves. She also suggested that he seek the help of a coach who would teach him how to deal with public attention. Yugi had had to admit, the article on him was very good, if not a bit exaggerated. It made him sound like some sort of superhero.

Then there were the fan girls. Most were nice, but some of the girls had been rather spiteful towards Anzu, jealous of the fact that she was his girlfriend. Yugi, usually tried to look for positives in peoples behaviour, but found jealousy, directed towards Anzu, hard to deal with. He was thankful to Jonouchi and Honda for acting as body guards. He was also glad that his mother had grounded him. Going out would have been a nightmare.

Sugoroku, on the other hand was delighted by Yugi's success. Business was booming. Kids were coming in to buy duel monsters cards and his Grandfather was offering a signed photo of Yugi with each sale over 2000Yen. He had also been selling raffle tickets. The winner would get to duel Yugi. Yugi didn't mind, he relished the chance of a good duel. He just wished his Grandfather/manager had asked him first!

"Yugi? YUGI?" His Grandfather raised his voice.

"Huh?" Yugi blinked, looking up. He had been spacing out.

"You are dribbling breakfast cereal off your spoon."

"Oh! Oops." He shoved what was left of the cereal and milk on his spoon, into his mouth. Looking down he noticed milk and cereal all down the front of his pyjamas.

"You had better not let your fans see that you never learnt how too feed yourself." His Grandfather laughed.

"Oh Yugi! You are worse than a baby." His mother came over with a cloth and tried to wipe him clean.

"Mum! I'm not a little kid. I can clean myself." Yugi grabbed the cloth from his mother. She shook her head. Smiling she started to clear up the empty plates.

"That, is an excellent interview Yugi." Sugoroku pointed towards the newspaper.

"Yeah. I surprised myself. I thought it would be a lot harder. At..." He stopped, almost saying Atem's name out loud in front of his mother. He had meant to say Atem hated giving interviews, and would have been very surprised and impressed that Yugi had done so.

Sugoroku winked at him. "We are all proud of you, Yugi. Now, hurry up and get dressed. I shall be opening the shop up soon. There are lots of people who have paid for tickets, waiting to meet you."

"Sugoroku Mutou! You should be ashamed of yourself. I don't know what possessed you. Charging all those kids for the chance to meet Yugi. It was bad enough when he won that Battle City tournament and you advertised a contest to be held in the shop, using Yugi as a poster boy! That awful gang turned up, and ruined it." Yugi's mother scolded him.

"Please... Don't remind me of that nightmare." Yugi added. Atem had been livid when Grandpa put posters all over the place, advertising a contest taking place at the Kame Game Store. For young duelists to battle for a place on the rankings list. The photograph was actually of Yami Yugi. It took some very gentle persuasion on Yugi's part, to prevent Atem losing his temper, and ripping them all down. Then a gang of duel thugs had gate crashed the mini tournament, leaving Yugi, along with a reluctant Atem to resolve the problem. Afterwards Atem had very smugly, stated that he knew that something like that would happen, which was why he had been against it.

Sugoroku leant back in his chair looking pleased with himself. "I never miss an opportunity to make money. Anyway, I am thinking of my Grandson's future. You will never need to worry about money, Yugi."

"Yeah. I guess. But I don't really worry about money anyway." Yugi felt very about charging people. He found it difficult to believe people would actually pay to meet him. Not so long ago they would have probably wanted to beat him up.

"That's because you have never had to go without anything, my lad. Your generation have had it easy. I can remember that after the war..."

Yugi's mother threw a tea towel at Sugoroku. "Come on. Stories later. Washing up now." She winked at Yugi. "Go and get dressed Yugi. As a celebrity, I will let you off the household chores today. You will need all your energy for what your Grandfather has lined up for you today."

"Woo hoo. No chores. Thanks mum." Yugi went upstairs to get dressed. Maybe being famous had it's benefits after all.

* * *

**Yugi won. But then again, I bet you all guessed he would.**

**The second half of this chapter was a bit of a post duel filler, so sorry if it sort of jumps from one bit to the next. **

**Next chapter. I plan to re-introduce another old character. Wonder if you can guess who?**


	4. Chapter 4

This next chapter focuses on Mai and Jonouchi. I think that their relationship could be a rather volatile one. Mai with a massive chip on her shoulder and Jonouchi's rough background. The anime didn't really show how bad his home life was. The manga featured his drunken father and revealed that Jonouchi had been in a lot of trouble for being in a gang during his early teens. If you have not read the manga, I would really recommend it. The first seven books are very different from the anime. Quite violent at times.

I have also tried to have some interesting interactions between the characters. Which I hope everyone will like.

I should also warn that there is swearing in this chapter.

I own nothing.

* * *

Back to Reality. Jonouchi's Bad Day.

One month had gone by since Yugi's victory over Seto Kaiba. Just like it had after Battle City, the fan worship had eased off a little. Yugi had also become used to it. He was surprised at how easily he had slipped into the role of celebrity and King of Games, without Atem there to help him. It had given him much more confidence, which had resulted in him being a little more assertive. He was a long way from the timid, shy teenager he had been when they first entered high school. Yugi vowed that he would still show respect and kindness to others though, and he jokingly told his friends to slap him if he ever became big headed or cocky.

Anzu had passed the first of her ballet assessments, and had achieved excellent marks. It was looking likely that her place at the New York Dance and Drama Academy would be secure. Her only dilemma previously, had been how to juggle school. The Japanese school year started in April, while in New York it was September. She would be eighteen in August, so should start at the dance school in September. Her parents wanted her to graduate first. Which meant she would have the disadvantage of starting half way through the year. She had argued with her parents about it. Now she was almost relieved that she had lost the argument, because it would mean spending a few more months with Yugi.

The first games night, since Atem had left, was going to be held at Anzu's house a week Saturday. Her parents were going away for the weekend, and had agreed to let Anzu have her friends round. They planned to play a board game called Cluedo, one of the modern day board games Atem had enjoyed playing. He was very good at working out who the murderer was. They were also going to watch one of Atem's favourite films. An old spaghetti western called A Fist Full of Dollars, starring Clint Eastwood. Yugi had found the box set, which also contained For A Few Dollars More and The Good, Bad and the Ugly, among his Grandfather's collection of western movies, while he had been trying to find the porno film that Jonouchi wanted back. The character Clint played, had intrigued Atem. No one knew his name, he struck an imposing, commanding figure, and only spoke when he had something important to say. He also punished evil people who did bad things, and hurt good people. Yugi had allowed Atem to take over his body so that he could watch all of the Clint Eastwood Westerns.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Jonouchi was really pleased for his friends, everything was going so well for Anzu and Yugi. He hated himself for feeling a little bit jealous, but he couldn't help it. His life was so shitty in comparison. The fans ignored him, in favour of Yugi and Kaiba. No one seemed to care about his achievements in duel monsters. Yugi and Atem always encouraged him. Mai did too, in her own way. Her insults and goading, had been her way of helping him to become a stronger duelist.

Jonouchi sighed and pulled the collar up on his jacket. It was Six thirty on a cold, wet, miserable, February morning. These newspapers would not deliver themselves, and although the money was awful, Jonouchi was desperate. With his fathers debts, and drinking problems, he needed the money to get through school.

The way that he had left things with Mai, was really bothering him too. He just did not know how to get in touch with her. He knew she had gone to Europe. The only hint at her whereabouts, was something he had found in an online review, about a tournament in Paris. Mai had won. But that was three weeks ago. She could have moved on by now.

He kicked a beer can, that was laying on the pavement, in anger. It was almost full up. The contents sprayed out onto his foot and trouser leg. "Shit! Why am I so fucking dumb." He shouted at the now half empty can as it bounced into the road. "Why was I such a knuckle head and let her leave." He clenched his fists. "Argh.." He could have got her phone number, or an e-mail address. He could have just told her how he felt. But no. He had to be the hard man. Always acting tough, like he just didn't care. The problem was Mai tended to behave in the same way, pretending she didn't need friends. She had said men were jerks, only interested in her body. Jonouchi didn't see her as just a sex object at all, but her aggressive attitude had deterred him from showing his true feelings. How on earth would he ever find her so that he could tell her he liked her, without scaring her off?

The early morning deliveries had made him late for school. The bell had already rung when Jonouchi rushed into the classroom and threw himself into his seat next to Yugi.

"Hey. Jonouchi. You okay?" Yugi looked at him with a worried expression. Jonouchi looked tired, he was wet through, and was that beer Yugi could smell?

"Yeah. Been up since five, shelf stacking and then doing deliveries."

Yugi frowned slightly. Should he mention the smell of beer? "Oh. Er. Okay." Perhaps he should mention it to Anzu or Honda first.

"So hows it going with you Yuge?" Jonouchi asked.

"Jonouchi! Mutou! Classes have begun. Please be quiet?" The teacher stood at the front of the class glaring at them.

Yugi jumped and sat bolt upright with his eyes to the front. "Sorry, Sensei."

Jonouchi just sighed and pulled his books out of his bag and dumped them on his desk. This was going to be a long day.

After the morning lessons ended, Yugi and Anzu walked over to the dining hall together.

"I am worried about Jonouchi." He told her. "He is never that late, and did you see how dishevelled he was? I thought I noticed a strong smell of alcohol on him too."

"He was in a bit of a state this morning, but I didn't get close enough to notice the smell. Perhaps we should ask Honda. He might know something."

"Speak to me about what?" Honda came up behind them, startling them.

"Oh! Yugi was just worried about Jonouchi." Anzu replied.

"Its probably nothing. When Jonouchi came in late this morning I thought I smelled alcohol. I wondered if you knew anything Honda?" Yugi asked.

"I know he's been working his butt off to pay for the trip to Egypt. And to cover the bills."

"He has been pretty moody the last couple of days. You don't think he has started drinking?" Anzu exclaimed.

"Nah.. That's not it. He told me not to say anything too you, because he didn't want you guys to feel awkward. But seeing you two together, and then me getting Miho to go out on a date, kinda made him miss Mai. He has been trying to find her since we got back from Egypt. But he has not had any luck, and he is too bone headed to ask for help. But I know for a fact he is not drinking."

"He must know we would want to help him though. I could ask Kaiba to locate Mai's duel disk." Yugi suggested.

"Can you imagine him accepting Kaiba's help? Honda answered.

"Erm.. I have Mai's phone number. Shizuka also keeps in touch with her via e-mail." Anzu sheepishly added.

"What!" Both males exclaimed at the same time.

"Why didn't he ask Shizuka to contact Mai for him?" Yugi suggested.

"Because Jonouchi doesn't know about it. Mai asked her to keep it a secret, but Shizuka felt she was deceiving us, so she confided in me. Do you think I Should tell Jonouchi?"

"Nah. Not yet. Perhaps you should try and ring Mai first. Make sure she is okay with it. I don't want that idiot saying or doing something stupid. Mai might end up telling him to get lost." Honda said.

"Yeah. We need to handle this carefully." Yugi scratched his chin. "We all know what those two can be like. We need to come up with a good plan. Maybe we can get Mai to come to him."

It was decided that Anzu would try and ring Mai, after they had finished school for the day. For a girly chat. Mai still didn't know about Atem leaving, Yugi being shot, or that Anzu and Yugi were now together as a couple. She would call her to giver her the news, and then casually ask if Mai missed Jonouchi.

Later that day, Anzu was alone in her room. Yugi had been a bit put out when she told him she wanted to do this alone. He had wanted to listen in, but Anzu had told him it would be girl talk. At that he had pulled a face and got the message that he was not needed.

Anzu felt nervous as she dialled Mai's number. It went straight to voice mail. Anzu didn't leave a message. She decided to call first thing in the morning, when it would be early evening in Europe.

Mai sat alone in a trendy Paris casino, sipping her white wine spritzer. She was due to start her shift as a croupier in half an hour, so she didn't want anything stronger. She wondered if she should have returned the missed call she had while sleeping in this morning. Caller id had come up as Anzu. Why was Anzu ringing her? Suddenly her cell phone, that was sitting on the table in front of her rang. Picking it up she noticed caller id. Anzu again? What could she want?

"Anzu. Hon! Long time no see?"

"Oh. Oh. Hi.. Mai." Anzu was surprised by the speed at which Mai answered. She had half expected voice mail, again. "Just ringing to. Erm. How are you doing Mai?" Lame question Mazaki. Pull yourself together. She thought.

"I'm good. How is everybody. You and Yugi an item yet?"

"Well. Yes. Actually, we are. I was ringing to tell you."

"About time hon." She laughed. "Anyway, I knew already. Shizuka keeps me up to date on all the gossip. What happened in Egypt? She said you all went to find out about the Pharaoh's past. But that's all I know."

"Oh! So you don't know about Atem?"

"Who's Atem sweetie?"

Anzu face palmed. Of course, they had not seen Mai for such a long time, she didn't know about the memory world, or that they had found Atem's name. They hadn't really told Shizuka anything either, because she lived in a different town, with her mother. She would not have been able to give Mai the details.

Anzu told Mai about the memory world and gave a summary of what had happened in Egypt.

"Wow. Intense stuff. That poor kid. All that responsibility, and then giving his life to kill the big bad monster and save the world. Only to wake up 3000 years later. No wonder he was always so moody. How's Yugi dealing with it?"

Anzu found Mai's perspective mildly amusing. "Well actually, he seems fine. But I know he misses Atem."

"At least he has you kiddo." Mai winked. Which of course Anzu couldn't see. "And what about Jonouchi?" Mai suddenly added. She mentally slapped herself, why did her heart rate always increase when she thought about him?

"Working hard. He really misses you Mai. He was trying to find out where you were."

"Really?" It came out way too enthusiastic, much too Mai's embarrassment. She cleared her throat. "Why would he miss little old me?" That sounded better, more controlled.

Anzu noticed the tone of Mai's voice and smiled to herself. Time to execute the plan. "He really likes you Mai, always has, but he is too stubborn to admit it to you. He is afraid you would reject him." An awkward silence followed.

"Oh." Mai almost squeaked. "Do I come off as aloof?"

"Not exactly, but you do tend to put on a front. Jonouchi does too. You both need to tell each other the truth.. About, how you feel." Anzu was worried she might be going too far.

"To be honest. I like Jonouchi, he is a good guy. But... I had some bad experiences." Mai paused for a second. "With men who were players. I don't want to get hurt, or hurt Jonouchi. Can you understand that?"

"I think so."

"You probably don't. You are too innocent. So is your man. You are lucky to have each other. I gave my innocence away to a bastard who promised me the world, and then just used me. Can you see why I push men away. I won't let it happen again."

"Jonouchi is not like that Mai. He may act tough, but he is a genuine, big hearted guy. Who adores you."

Mai sighed. "Then he deserves better than me."

"How do you know that. At least give each other a chance."

"I will give it some thought. I gotta start work now. But I will contact him. I promise."

They said good bye and ended the call.

Anzu felt a little stunned. Mai had opened up to her. Anzu felt sad that she mistrusted men so badly. She must really have been hurt. Anzu hoped Yugi would never become like that and hurt her. Mai was right, they were still so innocent.

While Anzu was talking to Mai. Yugi and Jonouchi were at the arcade, playing a game of air hockey. It was best of five. So far it was two each, this was the decider. The puck slammed into Jonouchi's goal. Game over. Win lit up on Yugi's side.

"Woo hoo." Yugi pumped his fist in the air. "Drinks are on you, Jonouchi."

"Man. Do you ever lose a game Yuge?" Jonouchi shook his head. He had thought himself an ace player at air hockey.

"Nope." Yugi grinned.

They ordered a large cola each and sat down.

"Is everything okay Jonouchi? You have been late to school twice this week." Yugi enquired.

"Yeah, no worries. Everything's great."

"You sure?" Yugi was not convinced.

Jonouchi sighed. "I can't fool you, can I?"

Yugi shook his head, urging him to continue.

"Seeing you and Anzu together, made me realise. I miss Mai. So, I've been working extra shifts to get some money together. Then I am gonna go find her." Stirring the ice around in his drink with the straw, he waited for Yugi's response.

"You miss her, huh? Would you like me to help you find her?"

"I can't ask you to do that Yugi. It's my problem, not yours."

"I can get Kaiba to trace her duel disk. I won't tell him why."

"Tch! I'm not asking that bastard any favours. I don't want him taking the piss when he finds out."

"Yeah, I guess. Still there must be some way of finding out where she is." He hoped that Anzu had been successful in contacting Mai that morning. He had not heard from her yet, so had no idea of the conversation between the two.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Almost one week had gone by since Anzu had spoken to Mai. She had told Yugi about their conversation, leaving out one or two details. Together they had decided not to give Mai's phone number to Jonouchi. If Mai had decided she was not interested, it could be awkward. The next move would be to ask Shizuka to send her an e-mail, inviting her to Yugi's eighteenth birthday party at the beginning of June, although that was still a couple of months away. If she did want to see Jonouchi, then she would respond, and may even show up sooner. They didn't want to deceive Jonouchi, or Mai about their plotting, but after speaking to Honda, they all agreed it was the best thing to do.

The e-mail was sent. Two days later they had still not had a response.

Anzu was a little worried. Why had she not been in touch? Was she still hesitating? Or had she decided she did not want to see Jonouchi?

Anzu, Yugi and Honda were huddled round Yugi's desk, Jonouchi was late again. What were they going to tell him?

"He will be really angry and upset." Yugi said sadly.

"Leave it with me. I know how to deal with Jonouchi." Honda said.

"Poor Jonouchi. Maybe it's for the best. Mai does have a lot of baggage." Anzu added.

"You don't think she feels that she is too old for him?" Yugi suddenly thought.

"I don't think so. Mai didn't mention the age gap. Jonouchi is eighteen now. Three years is not that much of a difference." Anzu replied.

"Hey guys, what were you all talking about?" Jonouchi suddenly appeared.

"Not much, just talking about going to the arcade after school." The little fib rolled off Honda's tongue smoothly.

Yugi, shifted awkwardly about in his seat, a guilty look on his face.

Jonouchi was just about to question him, when the bell rang. The students all quickly sat down, facing the front, as the teacher walked into the classroom.

This was going to be another long day, Jonouchi had just worked a night shift at the warehouse. He was exhausted and fed up. His friends were definitely talking about him, he was starting to feel paranoid. Tiredness can really play with your mind. He would quiz Yugi later, it would be easy to make him talk. Jonouchi narrowed his eyes and scrutinised his friends. The other two would be more difficult.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the day. Jonouchi was glad, he had struggled to concentrate. Yugi had not given anything away either. All he had said was that they were talking about the new game that had been installed in the arcade. Yugi had let slip that he was worried Jonouchi was working too much, and that his school work might suffer as a result. Right now Jonouchi couldn't really give a stuff about school work.

Yugi walked Anzu home from school. He was no longer grounded. His leg was feeling better. Apart from a few muscle spasms and some tenderness. he had no problem walking. Anzu's mother had invited him round to dinner. Anzu's parents had always liked Yugi, and approved of them going out together.

Laughing and chatting they strolled up the garden path. Anzu opened the front door, unaware that they were about to receive the shock of their lives.

* * *

**They showed the Spaghetti Westerns on British TV a few months ago. I remembered my dad really liking them when I was little. So I watched them. (Clint Eastwood was pretty hunky when he was young!) What I really found interesting though, was the similarities between Yami Yugi and the character Clint played. Both wear cloaks, Yami wears his deck belt like a gun holster, no one knows their names and they both have an aura about them, fixing their enemies with an intimidating glare. I don't know if anyone else agrees with me? Maybe its just me.**

**It also occurred to me while writing, that the Japanese school year runs April to March. In the UK and US it is September to August. I did read up that students transferring between the two systems face this dilemma, and it can be a bit of a problem. It certainly was for me in figuring out my plot line. It kind of messed up the dates and time frames that I have in my head.**

**Let me know what you think?**


	5. Chapter 5

I have managed to find a moment to post this next chapter for you. I am currently sat on a bed, in a guest house, somewhere on the North Norfolk coast. Our recent heatwave has come to an end :-( Its August, and it feels like November, the NW wind is freezing!. And all I have with me is summer clothes.

Just a little warning: There is a bit of smut, reference to alcoholism, the odd swear word and some innuendo in this chapter.

I don't own anything and all the mistakes are my own.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2. Hello Stranger.

Kicking their shoes off. Anzu and Yugi stood in the entrance hall of Anzu's house.

"What is that strong smell?" Yugi asked quietly.

"Smells like a very expensive perfume. Oooh... who do those beautiful shoes belong to?" Anzu pointed at a pair of deep red stiletto shoes, lying on the mat.

"Guess we're about to find out." Yugi whispered back.

Anzu expected that it was her aunt Reia, she was nearly fifty but dressed herself up like a twenty year old, was on her fourth husband, and always smothered herself in perfume. She quietly warned Yugi that if it was aunt Reia, she would probably be all over him.

"Hi. Mum, we're home." Anzu went into the kitchen/dining room. Yugi nervously shuffled behind her. Their chins nearly hit the floor when they saw who was sitting at the table.

"Mai!" They both exclaimed at the same time.

"Hey kiddos. Long time, no see. Eh?" She grinned.

"When? What are you doing here?" Anzu didn't intend for if to come out as though she were horrified.

"Are you not pleased to see me? I thought you invited me to come?" Mai stood up and walked over to them.

"I mean.. We are pleased." Anzu was cut off by Mai throwing her arms round her in a hug, and kissing her right cheek, then left cheek, in a French style greeting.

"We are just surprised to see you That's all." Yugi added.

Mai turned her attention to Yugi. "Wow! Look at you! Not a little boy any more. Handsome too. I should keep my eye on him if I was you." She jokingly winked at Anzu, before hugging Yugi and planting a kiss on each of his cheeks. Yugi stood like a stone soldier, while his face went bright red.

Anzu blushed as well, she really couldn't think of anything to say in response.

Mai released him and the three of them went into the sitting room to relax and catch up. Anzu's mother served them tea and some little home made cakes.

Mai filled them in about her travels around Europe. She had visited some amazing places; Starting in Tuscany, for a holiday, then visiting Barcelona, to stay with an old acquaintance. Spent six months in London, staying with another friend from her days working on the cruise liner, and finally Paris, where she had worked as a croupier, and also winning a local duel monsters tournament. It had sounded like she had had an amazing time, but Yugi could not help but detect a hint of loneliness in Mai's voice. Beneath the facade she seemed lost. He suspected that she was still trying to come to terms with all the things that had happened at Battle City, and then with Dartz and the Orichalcos. She had probably been struggling to cope. Yugi was unsure how to approach the subject without her becoming defensive and running away again.

"So. Will you be staying here for long?" Yugi said.

Mai, looked into her empty cup. "That depends on a certain person."

"You mean Jonouchi?" Anzu added.

"Please don't tell him I'm here? I'm not sure if I am ready to see him yet."

"Have you got somewhere to stay?" Anzu enquired.

"I can check into an hotel. I have enough money to keep me for a while." Mai sounded lonely. Anzu felt sorry for her. She felt that what Mai really needed right now, was some company.

"You are welcome to stay here Mai. Mum? Is it okay if Mai stays?"

"Of course sweetie, I will make up the spare room. You are welcome here as long as you wish."

"You are all too kind. I don't deserve any of this, after awful things I did to you all." Mai wiped away a small tear before anyone had a chance to see it.

"Hey Mai. It wasn't your fault. You were under the influence of the Oricalcos. You were vulnerable and it prayed on your insecurities." Yugi leaned forward and placed his hand on her arm.

"Yeah. And I've got a lot of those." Mai said sadly.

Anzu shifted to sit next to Mai and put her arm round her shoulder. "It's okay, you shouldn't feel bad. It made good people do some bad things. Yugi forgave Atem, Jonouchi has forgiven you, we all have. In fact Jonouchi blamed himself for much of what happened."

"That just makes it worse. If he had shouted at me, punished me in some way. Instead you were all nice to me, and I was vile to you all. You should hate me!" The tears were starting to flow now, Mai couldn't stop them. This was the first time she had let anyone see her cry in years, and it felt like a huge burden was lifting.

"Forgiveness is what helps us heal, but first you have to forgive yourself, Mai. Can you do that?" Yugi said kindly.

Mai nodded. "I. I." She couldn't speak.

"Yugi. Can you go and get Mai some tissues please?" Anzu asked.

Yugi nodded and went out to the kitchen. Poor Mai, she is a mess he thought, but at least now she is releasing all the pain. He picked up a box of tissues and took it too her.

Mai had pulled herself together by the time they had their evening meal, she found herself feeling as if a huge burden had been removed. Anzu and Yugi had made her feel, that at long last, she could face the consequences of her actions with the Doma crew, and perhaps put it all behind her at last.

The guest room that Anzu's family had kindly given her was not large, but it was comfortable. It was painted in a very light blue with pretty cream and blue curtains. The dresser and wardrobe were light beech effect. Mai admired her figure in the full length mirror, attached to the front of the wardrobe. She was proud of her figure, she put in a lot of gym time, and it showed. Mai flopped down onto the single bed and bounced around to test the mattress for comfort, it was perfect, Mai knew she would sleep well.

Reaching into her bag, Mai pulled out a photograph. It was a picture taken of her with Yugi, Anzu, Honda, and of course Jonouchi, just after Duelist Kingdom, no one knew she had kept it. Gently, she ran her fingers over Jonouchi's image and smiled. Maybe there was some hope that things could work between them.

The following morning, after a good night sleep, Mai felt much better. After taking a nice long shower she went downstairs. The house was empty. Anzu had left a note telling Mai to help herself to breakfast, there was also a key to the front door. Mai smiled, Anzu's family were being so kind and trusting.

Anzu and Yugi both felt a little guilty about not telling Jonouchi that Mai was back, but a promise was a promise so they kept quiet.

The school day over, they all headed home. Yugi had to help in the store, Jonouchi was working yet another late shift and Anzu had a dance class.

When Anzu arrived home, she found Mai helping her mother cook the evening meal, the two women were laughing and chatting. Anzu smiled to herself, happy that Mai was fitting in really well with her family.

"Hi mum, Mai. Ooh dinner smells good. Have I got time to take a quick shower?"

"Yes of course sweetie. Your father will be home soon, we will eat then." Her mother replied.

"Did you have a good day, Mai?" Anzu asked.

"Not bad. I was tired after travelling yesterday, so I just chilled out for a bit and then went for a stroll. Did you see Jonouchi at school today? How was he?"

"He was same as always. I felt a bit awkward about not telling him you are here though." Anzu bit her lip and frowned.

"I'm sorry Anzu, I didn't mean to put you and Yugi in a spot over my issues with Jonouchi. Give me a day or two. I promise I will go and see him." She had too agree, it was a bit unfair on them.

"Thanks. I know Jonouchi will be really happy to see you Mai." Anzu, turned and ran upstairs to shower and change out of her dance kit.

The next two days were fairly uneventful. Mai was still avoiding Jonouchi, much to Anzu and Yugi's frustration.

The school day finished, Yugi was walking Anzu home. "Has Mai given any hint about when she will see Jonouchi?" He asked.

Anzu sighed. "Not really. I hate hiding things. What would Jonouchi think of me if he found out that Mai was staying at my house, Yugi? He is going to be really angry. I feel so deceitful."

Yugi stopped. Turning to face Anzu, he took both her hands in his. "Yeah. Its not really fair on you. Jonouchi's my best friend, I just hope Mai does the fight thing. I am not going to stand by and watch the girl I love and my best friend being unhappy."

"Its not fair on you either Yugi. You shouldn't have to take responsibility for Mai's indecision."

"Don't worry about me. I can take it, my shoulders are broad. I have been working out lately." Puffing his chest he laughed, in an attempt to cheer Anzu up a little. It seemed to work.

"I had noticed." She smiled admiringly, gently squeezing his bicep. He instinctively flexed his arm causing his bicep to contract. Anzu was impressed, remembering that not long ago he was rather puny.

Having lightened the mood a little, they both continued in the direction of Anzu's house.

:::::::::::::::::::

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Mai checked the address on google maps. Yes this was place. "What a dump." She mumbled, looking up at the rather rough looking block of flats in front of her. It was now or never.

A couple of scrawny and rather tough looking boys of around fourteen were kicking a football against the wall, right in front of the stairway.

"Excuse me boys?" She said in an authoritative, but friendly voice.

One of the boys wolf whistled. The other very crudely said. "Show us ya tits? And we'll let ya pass?"

Mai smirked, she could handle little runts like these. "I doubt a pair of losers like you would know what to do... Now out of my way." She ordered. "I am here to see my good friend, Katasuya Jonouchi."

Their faces dropped and their confident postures wilted. "You're friends with Jono? Sorry Miss, we didn't know!" They both stepped aside.

"Be careful though, his dad's been drinking all afternoon. We could hear Jono and his old man arguing a bit earlier." The skinny one, who's trousers were hanging halfway down his backside, added.

"Thanks lads. I will." She winked at them and they both went as red as beetroot.

Nervously, she ascended to the second floor. She hesitated a moment in front of the door. It was all quiet. Taking a deep breath Mai knocked.

"Oi kid! Get the door will ya? Tell em to fuck off." Mai winced at hearing a rough gravelly voice. The owner sounded drunk.

A second later the door opened. Mai wanted to turn and run away, but was frozen to the spot. There in front of her stood Jonouchi. He looked tired., and he had a bruise forming under his left eye.

"Mai?" His jaw hung open. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"The one and only." She gave a nervous little laugh. "Hello Stranger."

"Who the fuck is it?" Jonouchi's drunken father shouted.

"No one... I am going out." Jonouchi grabbed his shoes. Slamming the door, he stepped out onto the walkway with Mai.

"Was that your father?" Mai enquired.

"Yeah. We best stay out of the flat. He got his unemployment benefit* today. He basically spends it all on gambling and drinking. When he has spent it all he will slip into depression until he gets his next payment."

Mai was horrified. How could Jonouchi live with such a horrible father. "How do you put up with it?"

"He's my father. He has no one else to take care of him. He's not like it all the time. Sometimes he can be nice."

"Your face! Did he hit you?"

"I took his booze away. He got mad, and lashed out. It's nothing."

"Nothing! Oh Jonouchi. He should be in a re-hab centre or jail. How long has he been like it?"

"Sometimes he gets arrested and is kept in a cell until he sobers up. He always liked a drink. My mum left him because he was a heavy drinker, and a womaniser. I stayed with him because I refused to leave Domino. Then he lost his job and the drinking got worse. But family is family, so I stuck by him. There! Now you know what my life is like. You still want to be around me?"

Mai was shocked, but heartened by Jonouchi's loyalty. "Yes, of course I do!"

Jonouchi narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here, Mai? I have been looking all over for you, and suddenly, you just turn up at my door! Out of nowhere! How long have you been back in Domino?"

"A few days. Can we go somewhere a bit nicer to talk?"

"Yeah. Okay. We can walk down to the harbour from here. It's not far."

"Sounds good." Mai had so much she wanted to say. Her mind was in a turmoil. Where would she start? They were always so defensive around each other. One of them would need to give way.

"So. Where have you been all these months?" Jonouchi asked as they walked.

Mai told him about all the places she had visited. Jonouchi loved the sound of Italy, particularly the food. The Italians loved to eat alfresco, surrounded by their family, food was seen as a social occasion, bringing everyone together. The only Italian food he had eaten was pizza. Mai told him about the variety of pasta dishes, the cured hams, olive groves, oranges growing on the trees, and the wine. It sounded like food heaven. Pasta to Italy were what noodles were to Japan.

Jonouchi tentatively took Mai's hand. She didn't resist as they strolled along the harbour wall, looking out to where the berths for the ships were.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Mai said. Looking in the direction of dock gate 9.

"Yeah. Right over there." He pointed at the currently empty berth. "You walked past us with your nose in the air. You called Yugi a little kid, and told him to ditch us losers." Jonouchi sniggered.

"Oi!" Mai slapped him on the back of the head. "Okay. I probably did. I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder back then."

"A bit! More like an huge plank of wood."

"Any more insults and you will be singing soprano." Mai. playfully grabbed him by the collar.

He reacted by grappling with her and then pulling her into him. His arms were now tightly around her waist. Mai resisted slightly before suddenly throwing her arms round his neck and kissing him hard on the mouth. Jonouchi immediately responded. Their kiss was heated and frantic.

Suddenly, Mai pulled away and pushed him back. "Oh my gosh. I am sorry. I. I." She put her hand over her mouth and was about to turn and run, but Jonouchi grabbed her arm and pulled her back into him, holding her tightly.

"What is there to be sorry about. We both want each other, we can't pretend we don't. I am never letting you get away from me again Mai! I love you." Time seemed to stand still as they both froze, staring at each other.

"There I said it. I. LOVE. YOU MAI." He shouted it out loudly. Several people stopped and looked at them. "Listen everyone? I love her." He repeated, pointing at Mai.

"Jou! You idiot. You're making a scene." Mai was embarrassed, her face starting to flush.

"Do you know what. I suddenly don't care. Let them stare. They are just jealous. Because I got, the most beautiful woman in the whole world." He let her go and began skipping around like a five year old.

Mai started laughing. He could be such a childish idiot at times. She loved that about him, all the hard things that he had to deal with, he just brushed them aside and laughed it off. She wished she could be more like him, and forgive and forget.

"Come on? Aren't you going to join me?" He said. Laughing he grabbed her arm.

Mai felt a complete idiot at first, as they linked arms and skipped round, she soon relaxed. Who cared what other people thought.

Coming to a stop, they held each other close. "How about we go and find somewhere a little more private?" Mai whispered in his ear seductively.

He grinned. "Now you're talking. Your place? My dad might still be home, and might not have passed out yet."

"Might be awkward." She sighed, as he looked at her questioningly. "I am staying with Anzu."

"What? How long you been there for?"

"Three and a half days... Please don't be angry?" She pleaded

"Angry! Fucking angry! How could I not be? I bet Yugi knew too. I saw them every day, and they never said a damn word."

"Its not their fault. They wanted to tell you, but I pleaded with them not to. I needed to recover from the jet lag first, and pluck up some courage. I was afraid that you wouldn't want to see me. Why do you think I went away in the first place? I was struggling with the guilt, hurt, all those terrible things I said and did. I thought you might hate me! I would deserve it if you did. You guys are all amazing though. Anzu and Yugi were so kind forgiving."

"Oh Mai." The anger in Jonouchi's eyes softened. "Hate is a terrible thing. It destroys you from inside. I always used to be angry, and lash out at people who pissed me off. But Yugi forgave me for all the nasty things I did too him, and in doing so taught me to be a much better person. Anyway, you were being controlled by Dartz, it wasn't your fault the Orichalcos was evil, it prayed on people who were lost, hurting and afraid."

"Yeah, but it would never have happened if I hadn't been a screw up in the first place. Can we move forward? A fresh start?"

"Yeah. But first we need to kiss and make up." He grinned.

"Then come here, hot guy." Mai wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

Jonouchi, despite his bravado, had about as much experience as his friends did when it came to the opposite sex. The kiss nearly blew his mind, Mai knew how to kiss. They needed to find somewhere a bit less crowded, before things got a little too passionate.

* * *

*** Just in case anyone is confused at some of the slight language differences: In the Uk we call it Unemployment benefit. I think in the US it's Welfare. I don't know what they call it in Japan.**

**We also say trousers rather than pants. In the UK pants are underwear. **

**Any other questions, feel free to ask.**

**Please review. I love reviews. Helps me to keep writing, and also any areas I need to improve or elaborate on. It also gives me ideas on how to develop the characters.**


	6. Chapter 6

Having looked over the original chapter, I decided that I was not entirely happy with it, so I have made a few changes.

Warnings: Mentions of sexual activity and innuendo. The consumption of alcohol.

Usual disclaimers: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Getting to Know You.

The smell of freshly baked cakes greeted Anzu and Yugi when they entered the house. Anzu's mother greeted them with a smile.

"Hello sweetie, Yugi. Did you both have a good day?"

"Yes, thank you Mrs Mazaki." Yugi bowed slightly to show respect.

"Is Mai around?" Anzu enquired.

"No, she went out around half an hour ago, said she had some important business to attend."

Anzu and Yugi both looked at each other.

"You don't think?" Anzu asked.

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "Maybe. I hope it turns out okay."

"Would you two both like some tea?" Anzu's mother enquired.

"Yes please," they both replied.

"We will take it up to my room if that's okay mum. We have an assignment to do."

"Okay, I will bring the tea and cake up in a few moments."

Anzu sat down on the fluffy pink swivel stool, in front of her dresser, while Yugi sat on the chair at her desk.

"I can't believe Mai finally plucked up the courage. I was beginning to think she would chicken out," Anzu sounded hopeful that the pair would resolve their differences.

"Yeah, I just hope they work things out, and don't end up arguing," Yugi replied with a hint of concern.

Anzu's mother entered with the tray of refreshments. "Is everything okay? You both look worried about something."

"It's Mai, she has gone to see Jonouchi. They sort of like each other, but always end up falling out. We're worried they might end up fighting again," Anzu explained.

"Oh! I see. Well if you want my advice? I should just let them get on with it. Stop worrying, there is not a lot you can do. They need to sort out their relationship on their own."

"Thanks mum. You're right. We will try not to worry."

Anzu's mum placed the tray on the desk and left. Anzu pulled her stool closer to Yugi, and poured the tea. "I don't think I could be in a relationship where you are always fighting! I like it that we get on and never fight."

"That's because we know each other so well. Once Jonouchi and Mai resolve the issues they have, and understand each other better, they should get along fine," he replied. Not realising that at that moment, they were getting to know each other very well indeed.

::::::::::::::

Mai lay beside Jonouchi, with her head resting on his bare chest. Their clothes were strewn all over the bedroom floor. At least they had made it to the bedroom. Thank goodness Jonouchi had a key to his neighbours flat! His neighbour was in the navy and was away a lot and had given Jonouchi a spare key, to keep an eye on the place. He also had use of the spare room; for when things got too bad with his father and he needed a refuge.

Mai traced little circles on Jonouchi's chest with her finger tips. She felt genuinely happy for the first time in a very long while. Jonouchi may be inexperienced but that suited her. He was genuine and loyal, and he made her feel loved. Something those lying, cheating, womanising bastards she had been with in the past had never made her feel.

Jonouchi had one arm wrapped protectively round her, while he stroked her hair with his other hand. "Wow. That was awesome Mai." For the sake of his male pride, he didn't want her to know that it had been his first time.

"Fancy round two?" She replied cheekily, lifting her head to look at his face. Mai didn't let on that she could tell that he lacked experience.

"You bet I do!"

"Then lie back and relax, handsome. I'm in charge this time," she said seductively, nipping at his nipple.

Jonouchi felt as if all his dreams had just come true. He was most definitely in love.

::::::::::::::::::

Studying was not going all that well for Anzu and Yugi. Their minds were pre-occupied.

"Do you think I should try ringing Mai?" Anzu enquired. It had been two and a half hours since Mai had left to see Jonouchi.

"Or, I could text Jonouchi." Yugi suggested.

"You could, but what should we say? I am dying to know if they sorted things out, but it might seem like were prying."

"I could ask if he wants to meet up for a Burger, or something. If you wish?"

"What about pizza? You know how I feel about Burger World." She still shuddered when thinking about that escaped convict.

Yugi picked up his phone and sent the text. Ten minutes went by without a response.

Jonouchi had just got out of the shower. Mai, already showered, was making a pot of tea.

Mai looked up at him, his hair was wet and ruffled. The towel was wrapped around his waist. She smiled at him lovingly.

"You just received a text, about five minutes ago."

Jonouchi picked up his phone and checked. "Yugi. He and Anzu want to know if _we_ would like to meet up for pizza. Fancy it?"

"Yes, why not. I am starving! We have worked up quite an appetite," she winked at him.

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms round her. "I bet they are dying to find out if we made up. How did they find out you came to see me? Did you tell them?"

"I told Anzu's mother I had urgent business. I think they probably worked it out."

"Okay.. I think I will wind them up a bit." He grinned and picked up his phone.

Yugi nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone rang. He had been expecting a text. "Hey, Jonouchi. D..did you get my text?"

How long have you and Anzu have been keeping secrets from me? You knew Mai was back before I did!" He said accusingly.

"What? . I..I..wanted tell. B.b..ut." Poor Yugi's jaw flapped as he struggled to stutter out a response.

Jonouchi burst out laughing. He had intended to continue the wind up by saying he and Mai had just had a massive argument, but Yugi sounded sounded so panicky that it spoiled his plan. "Hey! Don't worry buddy. It's okay, really it is. We're cool. Mai is here with me. We made up!" He sounded so excited, causing Yugi to heave a sigh of relief.

"Phew! So Mai found you?"

"Yeah. It's all good man! We can meet you and Anzu around seven fifteen at Perfect Pizza."

"Y. yeah...Cool. See you there. Bye." Yugi gave the thumbs up signal to an Anzu, who was waiting with a sense of impatient anticipation. "Mai and Jonouchi are together, it sounds like they have sorted things out!" He exclaimed happily.

"Yes! Thank goodness. I'm so happy for them." Anzu jumped up and threw her arms round Yugi. He picked her up and spun her round, before realising how heavy she was. He tripped over his own feet, lost balance, and more or less threw her onto the bed. One hand accidentally clutched at her breast as he landed on top of her, with his his face buried in her neck and his hips pressed between her thighs.

Not realising that it was an accident, Anzu was a little surprised; Yugi wasn't one for rowdy horseplay, she quite liked it!

"Yugi!" She ran her fingers through his hair.

Yugi, realising the position they were in, leaped up. "Oh! Anzu. I'm really sorry... I didn't mean.. I wasn't trying. Sorry." He looked away, slightly ashamed of himself.

"Yugi! Don't apologise! It was an accident! I know you weren't trying anything," she said, feeling a little disappointed. While Anzu didn't feel ready to go all the way with him just yet, it would be nice if he could be a little more demonstrative. Kissing was nice, but they hadn't really got any further than that. Apart from the one incident in the library, where he actually touched the top of her leg, it was almost as if he was too embarrassed to do anything more than kiss, mostly keeping his hands firmly round her waist, and not venturing to explore her curves.

When she heard some of the things the other girls giggled about doing with their boyfriends, she felt a bit embarrassed and left out; especially when some of the girls, who Anzu thought of as rather slutty, teased her. Yugi, the guy who was once looked upon as a drippy little nerd, was now considered hot and sexy. The girls all wanted to know what it was like to be with the King of Games. Anzu had been so embarrassed; peer pressure can be very unsettling. In the end, she had told them it was none of their business, what she and Yugi did was private, so she wasn't prepared to tell them. They would have been merciless if they knew the truth.

Anzu was relieved Yugi didn't know about the conversations that went on in the girls locker room, he would be horrified that girls could behave in such a way. He had been upset enough when he had heard a couple of his fan girls saying nasty things about Anzu.

Seeing Anzu's reaction, Yugi rubbed the back of his head with his hand, as he always did when he felt awkward. She seemed to be behaving as though she enjoyed being thrown roughly onto the bed and then having him fall onto her. Was Jumping off her and leaping up so quickly, the wrong thing to do? Girls could be confusing sometimes. How was a guy supposed to know when it was the right time to make a move?

After a few awkward moments, he spoke. "We don't want to be late meeting Mai and Jonouchi. We should get going now."

Anzu glanced at the clock. "Yeah, you're right," Anzu sighed. "We should probably leave. I need to tell mum we won't be eating here. I think its only a casual, help yourself buffet tonight anyway. She is playing badminton at eight."

As Yugi and Anzu walked to the restaurant, holding hands, Yugi wondered if he should say anything, perhaps ask if he was taking things too slowly? But was too shy and didn't know how to phrase it. In the end he said nothing.

It was mid week, so the restaurant wasn't particularly busy when Anzu and Yugi arrived. However, there was a group of six boys, of around thirteen, out celebrating a birthday. As soon as they spotted Yugi their faces lit up. They all wanted a photograph with him. Yugi obliged, he was always friendly and good natured towards his fans. After a few minutes, one of the boys mothers told them to leave Yugi and his young lady alone, so that he could sit down to eat.

Anzu almost sniggered at being called _young lady._

"Its okay. I don't mind. We are waiting for friends to arrive before we eat anyway." Yugi told her.

Anzu informed the waiter they would like a table for four, and they were shown too their seats.

"Would you like drinks while you wait?" The waiter enquired.

"I will have a lemonade." Yugi ordered for himself. "Anzu?"

"Sparkling water with ice and a slice, for me please." Anzu needed to start thinking about her figure if she wanted to be a dancer. The School in New York had commented that she was carrying a little too much puppy fat. Empty calories were frowned upon, she needed to build lean muscle. It was a shame pizza was one of her favourite foods.

Just then Jonouchi came bursting in through the door. Closely followed by Mai.

Anzu rolled her eyes. "What a gentleman. Doesn't he know he is supposed to hold the door open and let the lady enter first?" She whispered to Yugi.

"Last one in pays." Jonouchi laughed, loudly.

"Obviously not." Yugi winced, as Mai smacked Jonouchi around the back of the head with her expensive Armani handbag.

"I see you two are getting on like a house on fire," Anzu observed, as Mai and Jonouchi sat down, with Mai opposite Anzu, and Jonouchi opposite Yugi.

"Like a towering inferno," Jonouchi grinned.

The waiter came over to take their orders.

"I am not sure I can eat a whole pizza." Anzu stated.

"How about we share one between us hon? Us ladies need to watch our figures!" Mai replied.

"We can manage a whole one, eh Yuge?" Jonouchi ordered a 14" meat feast and a peroni beer.

"Yeah. I'm really hungry too. I will go for the 12" pepperoni." Yugi said.

"Can we also have two large side salads to share, a ham and mushroom 12" and two plates. Plus a bottle of pinot grigio please?" Mai added.

The waiter took the order, returning with Jonouchi's beer and the wine. Mai offered Anzu and Yugi a glass.

Anzu shook her head. "Mai! We're under age," she whispered.

"Oh. Don't be silly, you are almost eighteen. In Europe, that's old enough. One glass won't hurt, and I can't drink all this on my own!"

"Yugi will be soon, but I'm not eighteen until August." Anzu tried to argue, as Mai filled her glass. Anzu looked at Yugi for support. He just shrugged sheepishly and pushed his glass forward for Mai to fill.

"I guess it won't hurt. It is with food," he reasoned.

Anzu sighed. "I suppose it won't hurt." She decided to change the subject. "So. What did you and Jonouchi do this afternoon?"

"Meh, heh heh." A salacious grin appeared on Jonouchi's face. Yugi immediately noticed this, and his face turned pink.

"Oh! TMI." Anzu almost squeaked. She had also noticed Jonouchi's grin, her face turned pink as well. Talk about a conversation killer.

Mai rescued the situation. She elbowed Jonouchi in the side for being lewd. "We made up for lost time," she said calmly. "We still have a lot to sort out, but we are getting there."

Their food arrived, saving them all from further embarrassment. Inevitably, the conversation turned to duel monsters. Mai told them that small tournaments were springing up all over Europe. Due to Pegasus and Kaiba's marketing of duel monsters and Yugi's high profile victories, it's popularity was soaring around the world. Yugi was surprised to hear that he was idolised outside of Japan as well. It had not really crossed his mind.

"Wow, Yugi! You are an international celebrity!" Anzu stated proudly.

"What about me? Am I famous?" Jonouchi wanted to know.

"You need to win some tournaments first. They hadn't heard of me to begin with. They certainly know who I am now, after I took all the top prizes. I go by the name Mai Valentine, rather than Kujaku, its easier for them to understand. We should go when you finish school?"

"Yeah. Cool. I can just see it now. My name in lights, fans screaming for me. Hey! We can even duel as a tag team? What about you Yuge, will you go too?"

"No. I don't think so. I will play some local tournaments, as well as the world championships. But I need to study harder, to get the grades I need so can get into university."

"Yes, it will be good for you to go and duel without Yugi there. Not being unkind, but Yugi would probably win everything, and get all the attention. It will give you a chance to win something on your own Jonouchi," Anzu added.

"What do you plan to study Yugi?" Mai enquired.

"The course I want to do is: Ancient History and Archaeology. There is still so much more about ancient Egypt to be discovered. I want to help preserve the Oth... Atem's past." There was an awkward pause as everyone was suddenly reminded of the friend they had lost.

"Yeah It's a good way to honour him eh?" Jonouchi piped up suddenly. He could see Yugi's expression suddenly becoming slightly glazed over in thought so he decided to lighten the conversation up a little. "I can see you as Indiana Mutou! Shooting up all the bad guys," Jonouchi laughed.

"Don't forget the whip?" Mai smirked.

"Hey! Can you really see me running round with a gun and a whip?" Yugi exclaimed, snapping out of his thoughts.

They all looked at him with smirks. "Well actually, yes! I think you would look cute. Although I don't know how you would get a hat on with your hair." Mai sniggered, making Anzu and Jonouchi laugh out loudly.

Yugi face palmed. " Anyway guys! Archaeology is not like that at all!"

Anzu leaned against him, and rubbed his arm affectionately. "Oh..Yugi. We we were only teasing. You will make an excellent archaeologist." She kept the thought that Atem would be proud of him, to herself. It still hurt to talk about him, without feeling emotional.

Having finished their meals, the two young couples headed home, hand in hand with their respective partner. Life was full of twists and turns. Many more awaited them.

* * *

**Edited 10th March 2015.**


	7. Chapter 7

Having left this story open, I have decided to continue it. I have come up with some new ideas, that I thought might be interesting enough to share, with anyone who wishes to read them.

I have also found it amusing looking back over some of my earlier work. I am amazed how much I have changed/improved as a writer over the last year too!

Warnings: Some angst and discussion about sex.

Disclaimer. I do not (unfortunately) own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2.

Chapter 7.

Stay With Me Tonight.

By the time the two young couples had walked back to Anzu's house, it had started to rain. Just a light drizzle, but the wind had also picked up, making it rather unpleasant.

"So are you boys going home?" Mai winked at Jonouchi. "Or are you going to come in for a nightcap?"

Jonouchi looked at Anzu, unsure if he should take Mai up on her offer. Anzu's parents might not approve of Mai inviting him to stay over. "Mai... I wanna, but!"

It was Anzu, who answered his question. "You can stay if you like Jonouchi. My dad's away on business and my mum won't mind. But don't forget, we have school tomorrow."

"Well, rather than stand out here in the rain, why don't you come on in then?" Mai said, kicking off her shoes and heading for the kitchen, to put the kettle on for the tea. She had made herself right at home in the Mazaki household.

Jonouchi didn't need to be asked twice. He kicked off his Nike runners, and followed her into the kitchen.

Yugi stood in the porch, hesitating. He could get home before the rain got any worse if he ran, it would only take him ten minutes. Anzu noticed his hesitancy, and rolled her eyes. What was with him tonight? It seemed like he was trying to avoid being alone with her! She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. "Come on Yugi? You can at least have a hot drink and let your jacket dry off a bit. I can lend you an umbrella when you leave later."

"Okay," he relented. "I will just have a green tea, then I should get home. Grandpa wants me to help move some stock, before I go to school in the morning." He knew he was just making excuses, but it would avoid them getting into another awkward situation. When they kissed, he was finding it increasingly difficult to control himself. It was taking all of his will power, to stop himself from undoing her clothing and exploring her body. Anzu had not given him permission to touch her and she had made it clear that she hated guys who were gropers; she had complained to him about the pervert customers at Burger World, trying to _touch her up_. And when her boss told her that it was part of her job description to _keep the customers happy!_ She had quit the job.

He didn't want to go beyond the boundaries Anzu had set, when she told him that she didn't want to rush things. She had told him she wanted to wait a little while, and he would respect her wish, even if it meant keeping his hands to himself. He would hate himself if he became one of those pushy guys that tried to force his girlfriend into having sex, it would be so unlike him to behave in such a way. So even if his hormones were driving him crazy, he would just have to put up with it.

It was getting close to ten o'clock by the time they had finished their tea. Mai and Jonouchi excused themselves and got up, to go upstairs to her room.

They all walked out into the hallway together.

While Yugi was putting his shoes on, Anzu slowly opened the front door and peered outside. It was absolutely bucketing down with rain, and the wind was howling.

Before going upstairs Mai nudged Yugi playfully. "You don't have to get wet kiddo, why don't you stay with Anzu tonight? I could drive you home, to help your grandfather in the morning, and then drop you all at school afterwards."

"Th. Thank you Mai. But It's okay. I don't mind the rain." He tried to sound nonchalant.

"Are you sure Yugi? It's absolutely horrible out!" Anzu pushed the door shut again as a cold gust rushed in.

"Yeah, you'd be an idiot to walk home in that crap Yuge. Ring Gramps, he won't mind." Jonouchi couldn't believe his little buddy wanted to leave now!

Yugi bit his lip, hesitating. They were right, it would be stupid to walk home in such nasty weather, and Anzu's mum had often let him stay over in the spare room. He even had his own toothbrush and a pair of pyjamas here! "Okay, I guess," he relented.

"Dat's my man Yuge." Jonouchi gave him the thumbs up, and with a silly grin, bounded up the stairs. Mai followed him.

After they had gone Yugi turned to Anzu. "I know what those two are hinting at, but I'm happy to stay in the spare room."

"And have them tease us about staying in separate rooms, in the morning?!"

"I guess," Yugi frowned and looked at the ground. He moved into the sitting room and sat down on the edge of the sofa, gesturing for Anzu to join him.

"Is everything okay Yugi?" Anzu's heart gave a nervous thump. He wasn't going to finish with her, was he? He had been a behaving a bit odd the last few days. She sat down nervously.

Yugi looked up at her and smiled, taking her hand in his. How should he say this, without it sounding wrong? He cleared his throat. "I have been thinking...About what happened in your room earlier today. When I fell on you it was an accident, but I didn't want it to be. I know we agreed to take it slowly, but I'm finding it really difficult. I wanted to go home, because I'm frightened I might get too carried away and do something you don't like. I really love you, and I want to.. to. It's driving me nuts!" Had that sounded alright? He was not sure.

Anzu studied him for a few seconds. She hadn't realised he was feeling so frustrated! After all, this was just Yugi, and she had taken it for granted that he would happily go along with whatever she wanted. It hadn't really occurred to her that he would be just like any other guy and want sex. She suddenly felt ashamed for leading him on. She felt so relaxed around him, that she quite happily let him see her in a skimpy night dress, or in her underwear. She invited him into her bedroom, and without hesitating, would lay on the bed watching a film, or listening to music with him. It was something they had done since they were children and it had not occurred to her that it might affect him in such a way. But things were different now; they were young adults, who were in a relationship together. It was understandable that he would become frustrated. It must have been very difficult for him. "Yugi! I'm sorry. I didn't think. I should have considered your feelings when I said we should wait."

He turned to look at her and smiled timidly. "It isn't your fault. You have every right to suggest we wait. It is a big step to take, I have no right to make you feel guilty about it, and I'm sorry if I am making you feel that way. I know it sounds silly, but... I worried that maybe," he was struggling to get the words out, "without my other self, you didn't like the ordinary me enough."

"Oh Yugi. Of course I love you enough. I don't need you to be _him!_" Anzu rested her head on his shoulder. "I guess it's also true what they say, that guys view sex differently to girls."

He responded by sitting back and cuddling her close. "Probably. Hey, don't worry," he laughed. "I will be fine. You seemed unsure about my behaviour in your room earlier. So I just wanted to let you know why I have been behaving a bit weird lately."

"It's not that I don't want to Yugi. Believe me, I love you and I do want to, eventually. It's just.. I have been taught not to rush into it. And since you've been honest about your feelings, I guess I should be too...Its a big step to take, and I'm a little bit scared."

Yugi wrapped both arms around her and rested his head on hers. "Guys aren't any less afraid than girls, we just like to pretend were not. Some boys might like to brag about losing their virginity, but mostly we just worry about being no good, or a failure. If I'm honest, I would have to say that I am just as keen to have sex as any other guy my age, because it's like a right of passage to being a man. But at the same time, I'm terrified I will do it all wrong, or maybe hurt you." He could feel his face burning with embarrassment at his honest confession.

Anzu chuckled. "Maybe we can both be nervous and rubbish at it together then? There is no need to rush though. We can be more adventurous without going the whole way, I am not going to think you are a pervert. If you go too far, I will just ask you to stop. And when it feels right, I'm sure it will just happen naturally."

"Yeah, I would like that. I am glad we talked." He gently kissed her. After a few moments he pulled away. "I should be getting home now," he said half heartedly. The raging wind and rain could be heard outside.

"Stay Yugi. I don't think you should walk home in this horrible weather. I can make up the futon in my room for you, if you like?"

"Well...okay," he hesitantly agreed.

They went into the kitchen to get a drink of water each, before going upstairs to get ready for bed. Anzu noted that it was now ten thirty, her mother should be home by eleven fifteen. It was her mothers turn to drive tonight, so she would be dropping her friends home first. She left a note on the kitchen table to say that Yugi and Jonouchi were staying the night because of the bad weather.

Yugi rang home to say that he would come home in the morning, before school. He grimaced when Sugoroku chuckled and told him to make sure he used a condom. "Grandpa!"

Anzu, was cuddled up close enough to Yugi to overhear the conversation. "Ugh.. Your grandfather can be disgusting sometimes Yugi."

"Sometimes! At least you haven't had to suffer _the talk._" Yugi didn't let on about the porno films that Jonouchi had lent him. She would think he was disgusting as well.

While Yugi was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth, Anzu got into her pyjamas. She was careful to choose a pair that were not too revealing, opting for a t-shirt with loose fitting shorts, that finished just above her knees. Checking herself in the mirror, she was satisfied that she looked frumpy enough not to turn him on. She then folded out the futon. Yugi came back just as she was putting the cover on the spare duvet.

"I can finish doing that if you want to use the bathroom." He offered.

"Okay, thanks Yugi." She handed him the pillowcase and scurried off to the bathroom.

Yugi chuckled as he watched her leave. It was obvious that she had chosen the frumpiest pair of pyjamas that she could find, but it wouldn't make any difference what she wore. She could wear an old rubble sack and he would still find her sexy.

When Anzu returned from the bathroom Yugi gave her a quick peck on the cheek and then sat down on the futon, pulling the duvet over himself. "Night Anzu." He was backing off again.

Anzu felt conflicted; she wanted to ask him to cuddle her, but didn't want to appear to be leading him on. It wasn't meant to be this complicated, was it? Mai and Jonouchi certainly didn't seem to have any inhibitions. All this was because of one silly little word that had such big implications; sex! She felt like screaming, but held it back and composed herself. "Night Yugi," she said in a sing song voice. She flicked the bedside light off and curled up under her duvet.

Yugi closed his eyes and snuggled under his own duvet, but found it hard to fall asleep. He heard Anzu's mother come home at around eleven fifteen. Anzu made a sighing noise and started moving around restlessly in her bed. "Anzu," he whispered, "are you still awake?"

"Yes..," she whispered in reply. There was a pause. "Yugi?"

"Uh uh!" He lifted his head up at the questioning tone of her voice.

"Can you cuddle me?"

"Just a cuddle?"

"Yes, just a cuddle," she said sheepishly.

He got out of bed and climbed in with her. "A cuddle is fine," he whispered softly, as she snuggled into him. "It's getting late anyway, and we will never get up in the morning if we don't get to sleep soon." He felt less restless and more at ease now that they both understood each others feelings.

The two teens fell asleep very quickly, in each others arms.

::::::::::::

Love had given Jonouchi a burst of energy, and he was riding high in it. He was wide awake at six thirty, so he leaped out of bed, leaving Mai fast asleep and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. The house was still quiet, so he then went downstairs and made a big pot of tea for when they all awoke.

Bounding back up the stairs he hammered on Anzu's bedroom door. "Anzu, Yugi. Are you two awake yet?"

"We are now," Yugi growled stretching himself out. "What time is it?" He still hadn't opened his eyes.

"Sometime before seven," Anzu groaned. "The alarm hasn't gone off yet, and it's set for seven."

Without asking Jonouchi came barging into the bedroom and gave a dirty laugh when he saw them both snuggled up together. "You two all loved up eh?"

"You can talk Jonouchi!" Anzu retorted. "And shouldn't you knock before barging into someone's room?"

Yugi noticed that the clock read six fifty. "How come you are up so early?" Yugi half expected that Mai would have worn him out, but it seemed that his new found love life had him bouncing around like a puppy.

"I'm normally up far earlier than this! I have my shitty job to do most mornings, remember? Anyway, there's a pot of tea on downstairs. I'm just off to wake Mai." He turned and dashed out of the room.

Yugi laughed and shook his head.

"I'm glad those two are finally together," Anzu sat up and pushed the duvet off. "Shall we go and get some tea and breakfast?" She started to climb out of bed.

"Yeah, okay." Yugi reached forward and grabbed her arm gently. "Anzu?"

She turned to regard him. "Yes!"

He smiled at her warmly. "Thanks for last night. For letting me in your bed, to cuddle you."

She leaned forward and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "It was nice. Come on, we had better get our skates on if we are going to help your grandfather before school."

They passed a very grumpy and tired looking Mai on the landing. "Morning Mai," they chorused.

All they got back in return was a grunt, as Mai disappeared into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Anzu looked at Yugi and shrugged. "Hey, don't be too long in there Mai, we all need to use the bathroom," she called.

By seven forty five they were all ready to leave. It only took five minutes to drive to the game store, in Mai's sports car. They all barrelled inside and up the stairs into the kitchen, where Yugi's mother and grandfather were busy eating breakfast.

As soon as Jonouchi saw that there was plenty of rice and miso soup, he helped himself. It was like his second home, he felt completely at ease with the Mutous, often eating there when he was too broke to buy any food for himself. It was also his second breakfast of the morning!

"God Jonouchi, you are such a pig! It's a wonder you're not obese with the amount you stuff." Mai cringed.

Everyone else laughed. They were all used to Jonouchi's phenomenal appetite.

"So, Gramp's where's the stock Yugi said you want moved?" Jonouchi stuffed in a rice ball and mumbled with his mouth full.

"Oh, don't worry about that, it's not urgent. I thought you were going to do it this evening Yugi?"

His friends looked at him questioningly. "Erm, Just gotta go up and get my book bag." He turned and legged it up to his room. Okay, so he had told a bit of a fib when he said he had to do it this morning. Trust his grandfather to let the cat out of the bag.

"What was all that about?" Jonouchi wondered out loud. "Look, his book bag's there on the floor!"

"I have absolutely no idea." Anzu shook her head. Yugi did do some strange things sometimes.

Mai didn't say anything, but had a good idea what it was about. Call it her woman's intuition or duelist instinct, but she was good at reading people. Yugi had been reluctant to stay last night and had seemed a bit stressed out. She didn't want to interfere. _"Oh heck, who am I kidding," _she thought. _"Of course I'm going to interfere." _She decided that she would have a chat with Anzu later. It was obvious they were crazy about each other, and they were both old enough not to be afraid of having sex.

As soon as Yugi returned, Jonouchi picked his bag up and handed it to him. "You're losing it man, you left your bag here Yugi!"

Yugi's cheeks turned pink. "Oh! So that's where I left it. C'mon guys? We should go now or we'll be late."

Once they were all seated in Mai's car, Jonouchi turned round to Yugi, who was sat in the back with Anzu. "Would you like me to help you move that stock after school?"

"Yeah, okay. It won't take long with two of us. We can play some video games afterwards."

"You not seeing Anzu tonight, Yugi?" Mai wondered.

"I have ballet class tonight. You can come with me if you like Mai? They have a great gym there," Anzu answered.

"Okay hon, sounds like a good plan." Mai parked her Mazda outside the school gates. "Have a good day kiddos. Do you guys want me to pick you up afterwards?"

"Nah, don't worry Mai. Parking gets a bit crap round here during school run. We're happy to walk home." He gave her a kiss and got out of the car. "Smell ya later." Mai rolled her eyes at his favourite saying.

Yugi and Anzu thanked Mai for the lift to school and got out of the car. The three of them waved as she drove off, before heading into the school to find the rest of their friends.

* * *

**Next chapter will be up in a few days.**

**Hope you liked. **


	8. Chapter 8

Here is the next chapter. Just a warning that there is some swearing in this.

Also: I don't own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter. 9. Jonouchi's Bad Day.

The school day had been fairly typical so far. A new kid from year ten had started pestering Yugi to duel him. Yugi had relented, duelling him during recess. The kid had been inexperienced and Yugi won easily without losing a single life point.

Much to his chagrin, Jonouchi had been given detention yet again. This time, for forgetting to do his science homework. "How the hell was I supposed to know it was due in today!" He ranted to Yugi, Honda and Ryou while they were getting changed for PE.

"Well Jonouchi," Ryou tried to reason "if you were to go online each day after school, you would see your schedule. You would then know which of your assignments are due in first and be able to prioritise them accordingly."

"Yeah, it's alright for you Mr. Brainbox Bakura. You don't have to juggle two flippin jobs. And keep a woman happy."

"If you will recall Jonouchi, I have had more than my fair share of distractions with the spirit from my ring. I still did my assignments though, otherwise I would never get into medical school."

"Yeah, well it's no use arguing guys," Honda added. "The truth is Jonouchi, you just couldn't be arsed to do it."

"Hell, fuck man. You're supposed to back me up dude!"

"Just being honest man." Honda held his hands up and smirked.

"Look Jonouchi, if you find it difficult, you only need to ask," Yugi added, "I am more than willing to help you."

"Nah, it's okay Yuge. You always help me and usually end up doing half my work for me. I can't keep putting on ya like that."

"I don't mind, honestly Jonouchi." Yugi, as always, was always keen to help his friend.

By now everyone else was out on the playing field, leaving the four friends behind in the locker room. This had not gone unnoticed by Mr. Karita, the gym teacher. He still gave them a hard time, even though they had saved him, after Yami Bakura had imprisoned his soul inside a small figure, subsequently forcing him to participate in his Adventure World game. He seemed to have conveniently wiped that experience from his memory.

"Right, you useless, long haired yobs. Get your butts outside," he bellowed. "We are going on a 5 kilometre cross country run. Since you four are trying to get out of it, you can each run carrying a ten pound kettle ball."

"Aw man you gotta be kidding us?" Jonouchi complained.

"Since he can't keep quiet. Mr. Jonouchi is carrying a twenty pound ball. Anyone else wish to complain?"

"Excuse me, but how are we supposed to run carrying a ball without injuring our backs?" Ryou asked politely.

"I wouldn't expect a girl like you to be strong enough anyway. How do you think you poof? Use your back pack; put the ball in there and carry it on your back. Now get going. The rest of the class is waiting."

Reluctantly, the four boys tipped out the contents of their back packs.

To make sure they didn't try to cheat and sneak a lighter weight ball in, Karita placed the balls in for them.

When Yugi held his back pack out, Mr. Karita sneered at him. "I don't know how you don't poke peoples eyes out with that hair. If you were my son I would be ashamed of you."

Yugi wanted to say, _ 'If you were my father, I would be ashamed to be your son.'_ Being a polite young man, he bit his tongue and replied. "Yes Sir."

"And as for you Mr. Bakura or should I say Miss." He dumped the ball rather heavily into Ryou's bag, causing him to flinch. Yugi frowned and gave Ryou a sideways look. Ryou looked slightly upset and annoyed, but didn't react. Inside he wished he could have just some of the Thief Kings attitude. He would banish this idiot into the Shadow Realm without any hesitation.

By the time they had run around the playing field twice and along the undulating muddy trail that wound its way through the wooded area, they were all sweating. Having a heavy ball bouncing around on your back while running was extremely uncomfortable. Jonouchi mumbled and swore all the way round, because his bag was twice as heavy as the others.

"Come on guys," Yugi trotted along, trying to encourage his friends to keep going. He quite liked running, and having spent many years running away from bullies, while wearing his backpack, full of books, he was pretty used to it. "Think of it as a game. Karita has set us a challenge, which we must beat. I never back down from a challenge."

"Good thinking Yugi," Honda agreed. "For me this challenge is a simple stepping stone to being in the army, where I will be expected to do this with a thirty pound bergan on my back." He was trotting along beside Yugi and was also finding this fairly easy.

"It's okay for you. I got twice the weight!" Jonouchi grumbled. "I'm just gonna dump these fucking balls in the bushes."

"No! You can't do that Jonouchi. Karita will roast your hide." Ryou stumbled along beside him with his face bright red from exertion. "I am not used to hard physical exercise. But Yugi is right. Let us show him we are not easily beaten."

"Meh, I should just punch Karita. That guy's a moron," Jonouchi growled.

"Way to get expelled dude," Honda shook his head. "Come on. Left right, left right. Were not gonna let him win." Honda started singing as if he was in the Marine Training Corps.

"Shut Up!" The three other boys chorused in reply.

Working as a team and encouraging each other, the four made it round the three mile loop in a reasonably good time of twenty four minutes and were about halfway among the nineteen boys taking part.

"Meh, heh. Suck that Karita!" Jonuchi stuck his middle finger up. "You can't beat us down," Jonouchi snarled as they crossed the finishing line. He didn't think their gym teacher had seen or heard him. Unfortunately, he had.

"The four of you think your are pretty smart eh?" He came storming over to where they had now thrown their back packs on the ground, and were laying on the grass with the other boys who had finished running.

"Uh oh. You and your big mouth Jonouchi," Ryou frowned as a fuming Karita towered over them.

Yugi flinched, wondering what punishment was in store.

"You think this is a big joke do you? The football team is playing a match this evening. You four will report to me at seven thirty tomorrow morning. You will have 1 hour before lessons begin, to wash all of the dirty kit and clean all eleven pairs of football boots. Don't be late. Now get out of my sight, I don't want to see your horrible faces again today."

The four boys grabbed their back packs and stomped off towards the locker rooms to shower and change.

"Aww man, that Bast..." Jonouchi began, but was cut off by an angry Honda.

"Thanks a bunch man. Why can't you learn to shut your fucking mouth?"

"Yeah Jonouchi. You really shouldn't have said anything. Now we all have to clean sweaty kit and crappy boots," Yugi said angrily. He didn't often get angry with his friends, but Jonouchi had got them into even more trouble, unnecessarily.

Jonouchi stiffened slightly at Yugi's angry tone, and then his shoulders sagged. If Yugi lost his temper with him then he really had screwed up! "I'm sorry guys. I should a kept my gob shut. Look you guys don't have to come. I will explain to Karita that it was all my fault and clean all the kit myself."

"No, Jonouchi. I'm sorry if I just snapped at you, but we are a team," Yugi patted Jonouchi on the back. "So we will stick together."

"Yeah. Thanks man," Jonouchi smiled sheepishly at his spiky haired friend.

"Yes, Yugi is right Jonouchi," Ryou added. "We can't possibly let you take this punishment all on your own."

"Even if it was your fault," Honda interjected, ruffling his knuckles against Jonouchi's scalp playfully.

Jonouchi responded by playfully punching Honda's shoulder. "You guys are the best. You know that?"

"Yep, we are the best," Yugi smirked, pushing the door to the boys locker room open and holding it so that the others could step inside.

After they had showered and changed back into their uniforms, they went back to their classroom, for the final lesson of the day; English. They all spoke pretty good English, and for Ryou, who had been born in England and lived there for ten years, it was a breeze.

Anzu was quick to notice how tired her four friends were. "Are you guys okay? What did Karita do to you?"

"Ya really don't wanna know." Jonouchi flopped down in his seat. "Man we should have left that bastard in that little figure Bakura made. Then we could kick him round the room and give him to Honda's pet Alsation to play with." The comment made them all laugh.

Yugi gave a Anzu a quick kiss before the teacher could arrive and catch them.

Yugi explained to her what they had just been through. "He made us run cross country with weighted backpacks, as a punishment for taking too long to change into our gym kits." Yugi sat down in his chair and pulled his books out, ready for the lesson.

Filling in the rest, Honda glared at Jonouchi. "And then Jonouchi opened his big mouth and got us all on kit cleaning duty, at seven thirty tomorrow morning."

"Ugh, that man never changes. He's a brute." Anzu stood beside Yugi and started massaging his shoulders. Yugi relaxed into her her touch. Anzu glared at Jonouchi. "And as for you Jonouchi! When are you ever going to stop being an idiot?"

The door opened. Everyone quickly jumped into their seats and sat to attention as their teacher entered the room. She was very strict about the students all being ready to start the lesson on time, and the last thing they wanted, was any more detentions.

::::::::::::

When the bell rang to signal the end of the day, they couldn't escape fast enough. Jonouchi decided that he couldn't be bothered to attend the detention he had been given for not doing his science homework. He was about to sneak out when the teacher appeared and ordered him back into the classroom for his hour long detention, where he would be expected to complete his assignment.

He groaned. "Sorry Yuge, looks like I won't be able help you at the shop after all." This just.. was.. not.. his.. day.

"Don't worry about it Jou, just make sure you get your science work done. Why don't you come round afterwards anyway? We can still play some games." Yugi wasn't about to give his friend a hard time. His school work was more important and he didn't want Jonouchi to fail his grades.

"Will do. Smell ya later guys," he grinned and strode back into class, whistling and full of his usual bravado. He was not going to let the teacher think that he was upset about getting a detention.

::::::::::::

Although they had told Mai they were happy to walk, she was waiting for them anyway.

They spotted her immediately. She was leaning up against the side of her convertible sports car, wearing a short cream coloured skirt, a pair of calf length, bright red Italian leather boots, a white lacy top and a waist length jacket that matched her skirt. A bunch of teenage boys were standing nearby, leering at her. Being used to this sort of male behaviour, she completely ignored them.

To Ryou she looked like a hooker, but he didn't like to say anything to his friends.

"Where is Jonouchi?" Mai was disappointed when he didn't appear with the others.

"The idiot managed to get himself another detention," Anzu replied.

Mai rolled her eyes. "What has he been up to?"

"He failed to do his homework. It is good to see you again Mai," Ryou said politely.

"Good to see you too Ryou. You are not going to go all Psycho on us now are you? You are cured right?" She studied him for any signs of his alter ego.

Feeling a bit embarrassed by her remarks, Ryou laughed and scratched his head. "No Mai, he is gone. For good I hope!"

"Hey there Mai! Good to see you again." Honda walked up to them, pushing his motorbike, which had been parked in the bike shed. It was prohibited to ride cycles or motorbikes on school property.

"Hey.." Mai purred. "Nice ride." She was admiring his Suzuki GSX600.

"Cheers Mai. Eighteenth birthday present from my folks. Sorry to love you and leave you, but I gotta go. I'm working this evening."

"Okay Honda. Is that at your new job?" Anzu asked. He had told them he was going for a part time job as a motorcycle courier.

"Sure is. Money is pretty good too." He placed his helmet on, climbed on his bike and started the engine. "See ya later."

They all waved as he rode off.

"Ooh, what a smart car Mai." Ryou was admiring Mai's silvery blue Mazda. "Might I scrounge a lift too?" He asked cheekily.

"Yeah sure honey," she winked. "Hop in." Without being asked twice Ryou jumped into the front seat. While Yugi got in the back with Anzu.

"Would you like to come back and help me at the game store Ryou? Jonouchi _was_ supposed to be helping me. We can play some games afterwards if you like?"

"Thank you Yugi. I would like to but I do have some studying to do towards my place in medic..."

"Oh go on Ryou," Anzu interrupted him. "You have been studying such a lot lately. It will do you good to relax a little."

"Well, I suppose it won't hurt. It will be nice to play games with you and not worry about my wretched spirit trying to hurt you."

"Great," Yugi beamed. "You can drop us both off at my place Mai."

"You got it kiddo." She put her foot down, spinning the wheels as she pulled away.

It didn't take Yugi and Ryou long to move the boxes from the store room and place the new stock on display. As soon as they had finished they went upstairs to the kitchen where Yugi's mother was making one of her delicious beef noodle dishes, with steamed vegetables. After their strenuous day they were both starving.

Knowing that Ryou would be going home to his empty apartment, Yugi asked his mother if it would be okay if he stayed for dinner.

"Of course," his mother replied. "I thought Jonouchi was coming tonight? I have cooked extra!" Yugi's mother always cooked extra when Jonouchi came round for a meal.

"He had to stay back at school. He will probably arrive in about twenty minutes." Detention seldom went on for more than an hour.

Fifteen minutes later, they heard the door bell ring. Jonouchi had arrived.

With his meal eaten, Jonouchi sat back, rubbing his tummy. "Thanks Mrs. Mutou. I could'a eaten the whole lot."

"Yes, well it's a good job we managed to get ours before you got here then, isn't it?" Yugi grinned at his friend. He was well used to having to grab his portion of food, before Jonouchi scoffed the whole lot.

"Meh, I ain't that greedy Yuge!" Everyone raised their eyebrows at that statement.

"Yes, thank you very much Mrs. Mutou," Ryou said gratefully. It was much nicer than the lonely instant ramen for one, that he usually ended up having on his own.

After the three boys had helped clear away the dishes, they decided to spend a couple of hours playing games.

Before going up to Yugi's room, Jonouchi went over to the cupboard in the lounge, which contained some of the many games in the Mutou household. He pulled out a Go board. "Hey, how about we play Irensi or Renju." He placed the board on the table.

The last time Yugi had played these games had been with Atem, on the night before they had left for Egypt. A lump suddenly formed in Yugi's throat. The thought of playing this game and not seeing Atem's transparent image across the board, or hear his voice, as he teased Yugi each time he won, made his heart sink.

Having had years of practice, he was a master at putting on a brave face. Only reserving moments of sadness and tears for when he was alone. Going to bed without the puzzle hanging on his bed post, or seeing the familiar image of the Pharaoh sitting in the chair talking to him about his day, had been painful to accept.

"You two can play. I will go and make us some drinks." He tried and failed to disguise his voice cracking. Without waiting for a reply, he marched out towards the kitchen.

Ryou and Jonouchi looked at one another questioningly.

"What was that about?" Ryou whispered.

Jonouchi shook his head. "Dunno. But I think I might go and check." He hesitated a minute before deciding to follow Yugi.

Luckily for Yugi neither his mother or grandfather were in the kitchen, both having gone to their rooms. He braced himself against the sink and scrunched his eyes up to try and stop his tears. This was silly. Atem had told him not to be sad after he left. He made Yugi promise to live his life to the full and chase all of his dreams. Atem had also told him not to delay telling Anzu how he really felt about her any longer. He had been so selfless in sacrificing himself when he was just entering the prime of his life. He had never had the chance to chase his own dreams, or enjoy a long fruitful life. Even in _this_ life, with Yugi, it had been all about destroying evil, finding his memories and fulfilling his destiny. None of it had been about his own happiness. And not once did he complain about it.

Yugi took a deep breath and tried to compose himself enough to get three cans of soda from the fridge.

"Yuge?" Jonouchi stood in the doorway watching his friend. "You alright man?" Yugi jumped at hearing his voice, nearly dropping the three cans of drink.

"Ye..yeah. I just..I was thinking about...my other..." he trailed off.

Jonouchi walked up to him and placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "It's okay buddy. You suddenly missed him yeah?"

Yugi nodded and reached over to a box of tissues to grab one. He blew his nose rather loudly and wiped his watery eyes on the back of his sleeve. "That was the last game I played with him before we left for Egypt. It brought back memories," he turned to face Jonouchi properly and smiled sadly. "We used to play by switching places. The biggest challenge was shielding our thoughts from each other so as not to give our strategies away. They are treasured memories, but they make me sad when I think about them."

"Yeah, I know dude. Cry as much as you like, its no big disgrace. If it's any consolation, I bawled my eyes out the night after he left. So did Honda. We've been bottling it up since then."

Yugi handed Jonouchi a soda and tried to laugh. "Maybe we should just play a video game or something, instead." He walked back into the sitting room and gave Ryou his soda.

"Are you okay now Yugi?" Ryou's voice was laced with concern.

"Yes, I'm okay now thanks. That board game made me think about my other se.. I mean Atem."

Yugi went over to the cabinet and pulled out a snakes and ladders board. "How about we play this instead? Atem used to say it was a ridiculous and pointless game of luck. It was the one game he really sucked at. We played it one evening with Anzu and he lost seven times in a row. It was the first time I ever saw him throw a board game across the room. Anzu and I couldn't stop laughing." He smirked at the memory. Afterwards Atem had been indignant in defending his action, saying that he should have sent the stupid game to the Shadow Realm instead. It was the human side of the great Pharaoh that other people seldom saw. Under that confident, calm, stoic exterior was a vulnerable human being.

"At least Atem was a good person. My spirit would have turned it into a shadow game and made everyone play with real snakes. If you fell from the ladder or got bitten by a snake you would _really_ die," Ryou reminisced.

With the atmosphere lightened somewhat, the three friends were able to laugh at Ryou's statement.

::::::::::::

After dropping Yugi and Ryou off, Mai and Anzu went back to Anzu's house to get ready for ballet class. Mai had never been one to shy away from voicing her opinion, so she decided to have a sisterly chat with Anzu. It was not easy to do so without appearing nosey, but Mai didn't care. If her friends needed relationship advice, or a small shove, then she was quite happy to help out.

"Is everything alright with you and Yugi?" She suddenly asked, while they were sat in the kitchen having a pre exercise snack.

Anzu nearly choked on her biscuit. "What?! Of course. Why do you ask?" How could Mai possibly know.

"If you say so, but if you want any relationship advice, feel free to ask. You shouldn't be afraid you know. It's the most natural thing in the world," she winked.

Anzu's face went red. "We talked about it and Yugi is happy to wait. It's personal Mai, and not something I want to rush into. Or discuss right now."

"As long as you are both okay. The pair of you are so cute together, and I think it's nice not to rush, but you have known each other for a very long time. I worry that you are too comfortable with just being friends. I know this is Yugi we are talking about, but he is a man and men won't wait for ever you know."

"I am aware of that Mai." She looked at the kitchen clock. "We should go soon, I don't want to be late."

Accepting that this was the end of this conversation, for now, Mai finished her drink and stood up to go. "Okay hon, but if ever you want any advice, please feel free to ask. I can be quite a good listener and I have a ton of experience with guys. I won't judge. You guys are my family now, and I would be heartbroken if it didn't work out for you."

Anzu relaxed a little. In her own way, Mai was just trying to help. "Thank you Mai. I appreciate you r advice, but we are fine. I promise."

They left for dance class, without discussing it further. Mai decided to drop it for now, but she would still act like mother hen and keep a close eye on their behaviour. After all, it had taken them several years, just to get from casual dating to this stage.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed. **

**Just a not to say that I have also re written some of chapter 6. Nothing major, just a few changes.**


	9. Chapter 9

This chapter contains some swearing and violence, plus a little bit of lime naughtiness. Yep, there is a lot going on!

I don't own Yugioh or any of its characters.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 9. Ambassador for the School.

The following morning, the four boys made sure they arrived at the gymnasium in good time. It was well known that Mr. Karita did not tolerate tardiness, and none of them wanted to suffer any further punishment.

Mr Karita showed them to the wash area where they would be working and left them to it, saying he would be back at eight twenty to inspect their work. Luckily there was a washing machine for the kit itself. Jonouchi suggested that they should also put the boots in as well, as it would save them work.

"What? It was only a suggestion," he defended, when Honda told him to stop being stupid. Putting the boots in the machine would either destroy the boots or the machine, or maybe even both!

With four of them working, they made quick work of the boots. By the time Mr. Karita returned, they had finished all the boots and hung the kit on the line outside the changing rooms, to dry. Reluctantly Mr. Karita was forced to admit they had done a good job and dismissed them to their class.

"Well thank god that ordeal is over." Ryou rubbed the palms of his hands over his dry, chafed knuckles. He disliked manual labour; it was terribly bad for his skin. He paused momentarily, as his fingers grazed over the scar tissue on the back of his left hand. Whilst it did not cause him pain, it was painful, in that it reminded him of the day the spirit of the ring took over his body and tried to make him hurt his friends. "Does anyone have any hand cream?"

The other three boys gave him an incredulous look. "You are joking right?" Honda shook his head and laughed.

"I can sort of understand what he means," Yugi defended Ryou. "That polishing stuff we had to rub on the boots has got under my nails and my hands do feel a bit nasty."

"Yeah, and it smells.. kinda." Jonouchi sniffed his hand. "Ugh..."

They arrived back in their classroom, just in time for the first lesson to begin at eight thirty.

::::::::::::

A little later on that morning, Yugi received a message that he was to go to the headmasters office immediately. "I wonder what about?" He glanced at his friends with a concerned expression. He wasn't in any trouble, was he? Or had something happened to Grandpa?

"I'm sure it's nothing Yugi," Anzu touched his hand as he got up and walked past her desk. "Would you like me to come with you? May I go with Yugi?" She looked at the teacher hopefully.

"Miss Mazaki, I am sure Mr. Mutou is able to find the headmasters office on his own."

"I will be okay." He winked at Anzu as he left.

Upon reaching the headmasters office, he discovered that due to his fame, he had been selected to be an ambassador for the school. He was taken back a bit by the request. In all his years of school, he had seldom even been noticed, except by the bullies. He had always been one of the invisible kids that was always overlooked. "Y..yeah. Thank you Sir, I would be honoured."

"Excellent," the principal smiled. "Since joining this school Mr. Mutou, you have grown into a fine young man. Looking at your school records, I notice that you were a rather shy individual who struggled to mix with your peers. There were incidents of bullying."

_Don't remind me! _Yugi thought.

"But, thanks to the influence and guidance of this school, you have overcome your.. difficulties, to become a role model for many of our younger students. Do I make myself clear?"

_That has nothing to do with the school. I did that with the help of the puzzle and my friends. _"Yes Sir."

"Good, then I trust you will embrace this role during the remainder of your final year. You will be informed of your duties in due course. You may go back to your lesson now Mr. Mutou." The headmaster dismissed him with a nod of the head. Yugi stood up and bowed in respect before leaving the office feeling slightly dazed. He owed so much to the puzzle and his Other Self. He wondered what his life might have been like if he had never solved the puzzle. Probably, pretty damned awful.

As he rounded the corner and walked past the lockers, he came across an age old problem; bullying.

A year ten boy was pinned to the lockers by one of the year twelve boys. Shouldn't they both be in class? Yugi didn't really know either boy that well; although the older boy, Hasegawa, did have a reputation for being a thug. Luckily, when the boy had first transferred to their school, Yugi had already made friends and solved the puzzle, so he had never experienced this boy's aggression.

One thing Yugi had never shied away from, was intervening when someone was bullying another person, or causing problems for one of his friends. It was a personality trait of his, that in the past, had often landed him on the receiving end of a fist. The younger boy reminded him of himself at that age, he was rather small for his age and looked frightened. Since he was now an ambassador, he wasted no time in stepping in to help.

"What's going on here? Leave him alone Hasegawa," He said in his boldest Atem like voice.

Hasegawa turned and sneered. "Piss of Mutou, can't you see we are busy talking."

"He is smaller and Younger than you. Leave him alone." Yugi was not going to let him hurt this kid.

"Or you will do what? Go on, try and stop me?" Hasegawa goaded.

"Please," the small boy pleaded. "I was supposed to be delivering a note. I don't want any trouble."

Yugi sighed. "Just let him go Hasegawa."

Hasegawa responded by shoving the boy roughly towards Yugi. "Get lost small fry. You ain't worth my time anyway."

The boy did as he was told. "Thank you..." He ran off as quickly as his legs could carry him, leaving Yugi and Hasegawa alone.

The thug advanced towards Yugi until he was standing face to face with him. Yugi was about two inches shorter. "You think you are pretty smart don't you Mutou. Or should I say King of fucking games. Beating the shit out of you will look good on my CV."

"It will also get you expelled." His new found confidence, was making him feel brave.

Unfortunately, bravery isn't always enough. Yugi was still not one to throw punches, he just couldn't bring himself to do so. The next thing he felt was a fist connecting with the side of his face, followed by a knee to the side, just below his ribs. The fist knocked him slightly off balance, while the knee doubled him up and sent him crumpling to the floor. Hasegawa finished it with a kick, which impacted to the side of Yugi's hip, before marching away quickly before anyone else saw him.

Growling angrily, more at not being capable of defending himself and letting himself get beaten up, than at the perpetrator, Yugi hauled himself back to his feet. He put his hand to his face and winced at the pain when he felt a hard lump coming up just under his left eye. His hip throbbed and he felt sick from the blow to his stomach. He had forgotten what this sort of beating felt like.

"Damn it Yugi," he muttered. Now he was going to have to return to his classroom with a bruised face. Jonouchi would be sure to notice and would demand to know who had hit him so that he could go and beat the guy up. Yugi didn't want Jonouchi to get himself into trouble again, for fighting.

There was only one thing for it, he would have to skip class so that his friends wouldn't notice.

Entering the nearest wash room, he checked his face in the mirror. It didn't look as bad as it felt, but there was still a noticeable swelling, which was a nice shade of reddish purple. Turning on the cold tap, Yugi splashed some cold water onto the side of his face to ease the bruising. After a few moments of thought, he decided to go to the school nurse and tell her he had accidentally walked into a door post. She would give him an ice pack and it would also get him out of class for a while. Hopefully some of the swelling would have gone by the time he saw his friends.

Meanwhile, Yugi's friends were getting a little concerned that he hadn't returned. When break time came, they went to the headmasters office, only to find out that Yugi had left there over an hour ago.

"I can't understand where he might be!" Anzu sounded upset that he had disappeared without telling them where he was going.

"Maybe something really bad happened at home," Jonouchi blurted without thinking.

"Don't say that!" Anzu snapped back. "I'm going to try to ring him." It was against school rules to use a mobile phone on the premises, but it was an emergency so was worth the risk of getting caught. The first call she made went straight to Yugi's voice mail. Anzu left a message and then dialled the game store. Sugoroku answered in a jovial voice.

"Oh! Mr Mutou." Well at least Yugi's grandfather was okay. "Have you heard from Yugi?"

"No. He is supposed to be at school, with you!" Now it was Sugoroku's turn to be worried.

"He went to the headmaster's office and we haven't seen him since. We were worried something may have happened to you, and that he had gone home without telling us."

"Well I can assure you I am fine. Let me know when you find him? He hasn't come home so maybe he is on doing something important for the school. He gets all sorts of requests now that he is famous. I'm sure he will turn up."

"Yes, thank you, bye.." Anzu hung up. "Well he didn't go home."

Just then, Jonouchi's ears pricked up. He could hear some guy boasting about putting one over someone. He elbowed Honda and nodded in the direction of where he could see Hasegawa bragging to a bunch of kids. He moved a little closer and it was then that he heard the mutterings.

"Wow really! You beat Yugi Mutou up? But he's the King of Games!"

"Man, you will be for it when his mate finds out. You do realize Jonouchi is a mental case, don't you?"

"I'm not scared of that moron, he's gone soft these days." Hasegawa came back with a cocky swagger.

Seeing red, Jonouchi stormed over and shoved the losers sucking up to Hasegawa out of the way. "What'd you do to my pal you fucking dork?"

"I beat that..." He didn't get time to finish. Jonouchi grabbed his collar and lifted him off his feet, shoving him forcefully into the lockers. A loud clang reverberated through the metal lockers as everyone watched on. Hasegawa let out a startled cry of pain. Jonouchi then let him go and slammed him hard in the stomach. Hasegawa fell to the ground and curled up whimpering.

"Now I will ask again dork. What did you do to Yugi?"

"I. I.." Hasegawa coughed. "We had a bit of an argument. I hit him, okay."

Jonouchi was about to kick the fallen teenager, when Honda grabbed him and pulled him back. "That's enough buddy. You don't want to get into trouble."

"Where were you when you hit him? Do you know where Yugi is now?" Anzu bent down and asked Hasegawa, who was still on the ground.

"How should I know. It was here, by the lockers."

"Then I wonder where Yugi has gone?" Ryou asked.

One of the other kids stepped out of the rapidly growing crowd. "I saw him earlier in the nurses office, when I went to get something for my headache. He had an ice pack on his face."

Without any further hesitation Jonouchi and Anzu ran towards the medical room. Honda and Ryou followed close behind.

"Yugi!" Anzu ran up to him and gently put her arms around him. "What happened?"

Yugi was just signing the incident report. "It was nothing, I'm fine," he said matter of factly.

Anzu gently pushed his blond bangs away from his face and studied the nasty bruise. "It doesn't look fine."

"It doesn't hurt," he lied. "We should go and have lunch." Yugi made to leave.

"Not until you tell us exactly what happened. I wanna know why that punk hit ya." Jonouchi sounded a little angry.

"And what did the headmaster want?" Anzu added.

Yugi sighed. "I will tell you everything over lunch."

They made their way to the dining room and sat down at a table to eat, Yugi filled them in on his trip to see the headmaster and then on what had happened on the way back to class.

"Man, I oughta give that bastard Hasegawa a damn good beating." Jonouchi balled his fists on the table.

"It's not your fight Jonouchi. It is my problem. I should never have challenged him. I thought I was stronger now and could deal with it, but all it proved was that I am still weak and can't fight." He felt embarrassed. This was just like old times. Him getting beaten up and his friends helping him.

"You now what you need Yugi," Ryou suggested, trying to be helpful. "Defence classes. They certainly helped give me more confidence."

"Yeah, you might a got something there Bakura." An idea had just come to Jonouchi. "How about we sign up to do karate Yugi?"

"What?!" Yugi was shocked at the idea.

"That's a brilliant idea Jonouchi," Anzu added. "It's not just about fighting Yugi, it's about balance, discipline and technique."

"It would do knuckle head some good too. He needs to learn about discipline." Honda directed his comment at Jonouchi.

At first Yugi was not keen, but the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. After all, if he could not protect himself, then how could he protect Anzu if she was attacked by a mugger or a pervert! "Yeah, okay. You're on. I will go to karate with you Jonouchi." He also liked the idea of getting toned and fit as well. He may have grown a bit taller, but he was still a bit puny, and he didn't want Anzu going off to dance school and ditching him because he was a wimp; for some male ballet dancer with a fit muscular body.

It was decided that tomorrow they would go along to the local fitness centre and sign up to use the gym.

::::::::::::

When school finished for the day, Anzu walked home with Yugi. Today was Thursday, and Sugoroku always played Shogi with friends on a Thursday evening. The shop closed at seven on a Thursday and Friday, so Yugi had to cover the store until closing time.

"Hey Grandpa, I'm home," Yugi called, pulling the door open he allowed Anzu to enter first and then followed her inside.

"Hello you two."

"Hello Mr. Mutou. Sorry if I worried you when I rang earlier."

"Oh that's okay. Yugi is always wondering off. He had his mother in a terrible panic once, when he wondered off to the park on his own at the age of three...Oh! What happened to your face Yugi?" He suddenly noticed Yugi's face.

"I had an argument with a goal post during PE," he lied effortlessly. It was something he had become good at while he was being bullied, and although he was basically an honest person, he could lie easily when he had to.

Feeling rather shocked that he could lie to his grandfather like that, Anzu looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He responded by placing his arm round her and grinning, with what she assumed was his come on you are supposed to back me up expression.

"Yes, It was really nasty, he ran straight into it!" She grimaced, forcing the lie out.

Sugoroku scratched his chin rather sceptically. He could always tell when Yugi was lying, but didn't pursue it. Instead he changed the subject. "Anyway, you two. All the new stock that you and Ryou put out last night Yugi, has been priced up. I will leave the store in your capable hands, while I go and get ready. Itsuto San is picking me up at six fifteen. I don't have to drive, which means I can enjoy a few glasses of finest scotch whisky."

As soon as Sugoroku had gone upstairs, Anzu turned to Yugi. "Don't you ever force me to lie to your Grandpa like that again Yugi!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to, its just... old habits. It's better that he doesn't know that someone hit me."

"Well, I think he knew you were telling fibs. You shouldn't try to hide it when someone hurts you."

"But it's embarrassing. And it's not worth getting him worried." Yugi defended, taking up his position behind the counter. "I wish I could defend myself, but I proved once again I'm hopeless." He placed his hands on the counter and hung his head.

"Oh Yugi, no one thinks you are hopeless." Anzu wrapped her arms round his waist to hug him. He winced and pulled away slightly when she squeezed his bruised stomach and side. Anzu had been unaware that he had any more injuries, other than the one on his face. "Yugi?!"

He tried to protest as she suddenly pulled his shirt up. "Anzu! What are you doing? A customer might come in."

"You didn't tell us that you were hurt elsewhere!" She gasped at the purple bruise just under his ribs on his left hand side.

"It's nothing, he kicked me in the stomach and here on the side of my hip. It doesn't hurt that much." He sounded defiant and was a bit abrupt, so she smoothed his shirt back down.

"It is not nothing! We should put something on it later, to help with the bruising and ease the pain." She was concerned that he was taking his injuries too lightly.

"Stop worrying about me, okay?" He hugged her.

"Okay, but..." He stopped her from continuing by kissing her to silence her.

Unusually, for a Thursday, the shop was quiet. "It's not usually this quiet," he mumbled. "Probably because it's raining." He was sat admiring Anzu, who was amusing herself by practising her ballet positions, using the counter as a support.

It had been an active day and they were both feeling very hungry, so Yugi decided to close the shop at six thirty. They went upstairs to the kitchen, where Yugi's mother was busy making one of her delicious chicken curries.

"Hello you two. Closed up early?" She raised her eyebrows and glanced at them.

"Business was slow. Please don't tell Grandpa," Yugi answered.

"My lips are sealed," she smiled at them. That was when she noticed Yugi's face. "Yugi! What happened to your face?" She hoped that he wasn't being bullied again. It had first started when he was around thirteen, but they hadn't found out about it until a year later, because he had hidden his torment and suffered in silence. He had always been a happy child until then, but had become so quiet and withdrawn. It had broken her heart that some of the other children had been so cruel to him, just for being a kind, gentle boy.

"It's nothing mum." He noticed the concern on her face. "Don't worry I'm not being bullied again. It was an accident." He changed the subject before she asked any more questions. "Is it okay if Anzu stays for dinner?"

"Of course honey. I will have dinner ready in half an hour if that's okay?" She was relieved to see her son so happy. Anzu was a lovely girl.

"Thank you Mrs. Mutou. Would you like any help?" Anzu asked politely.

"No, it is all under control. You two go and rest for a bit, you must have had a busy day. I will call you when it's ready."

"Thanks mum. We will go and watch some TV." He ushered Anzu towards the sitting room, but Anzu hadn't forgotten about his bruising.

"We should go and put something on those bruises. Do you have anything in your first aid cabinet?"

"I don't know, Grandpa takes care of that. He has all sorts of stuff for his bad back!"

They had found some arnica gel. Yugi pouted as he undid his shirt for her, so that she could rub some of the soothing gel onto his stomach and ribs.

"Relax will you!" She scolded, when he sucked in a sharp breath as the cold gel touched him.

"It was cold, and it tickles." However, he soon relaxed at the soothing sensation of Anzu gently rubbing him. It was rather enjoyable.

"Okay, we should take a look at your hip now."

"But that would mean pulling my trousers down!"

"You don't have to take them off. Just undo them and pull them down at the side, so that I can see how bad your hip is."

He sighed and unbuckled his studded, black leather belt. These were not the circumstances in which he had envisaged undressing for her! He hadn't even looked at the bruise himself yet, but he knew it must be quite bad, because it hurt like hell. Peeling his trousers and boxers down to reveal most of the left side of his butt, he was unsurprised at the nasty bruise he saw there. It had been feeling pretty sore.

Anzu, on the other hand gasped in shock at the dark reddish/blue, shoe shaped mark that covered his gluteal muscle, situated between his hip bone and thigh. "Oh Yugi! That looks horrible. It must really hurt?"

"A bit," he admitted sheepishly.

With an extremely tender touch, Anzu started to apply some of the arnica gel. Using just the tips of her fingers, so that she wouldn't press the tender bruise too hard, she gently worked in the gel, using small circular movements. Yugi was rather enjoying what almost felt like an intimate moment. He closed his eyes and started to imagine her in lacy underwear, hands moving up and down his thigh and then moving to his...

"Yugi! Are you okay?" Noticing he had closed his eyes and had a strange smirk on his face. Anzu had interrupted his moment of fantasy.

"Uh!" He came back to reality "Y. Yes I'm fine," he grinned as his face started heating up. It was a good job he was holding his trousers down in a way that made his hand cover up his now prominent arousal. He fidgeted his hand around in an attempt to ensure she wouldn't notice. Those porno films he had watched, must have influenced his fantasies more than he thought. She would think he was some sort of pervert if she knew what he was thinking! He tried to think of something that would make erection go down. C_hopped shallots. SEX. Pickled onions, SEX. _Grr this wasn't working.

"There, that should help." Anzu stopped massaging his hip. "Are you sure you are fine Yugi? You are acting a bit strange!" She leant forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. She wasn't that naive, of course she had noticed what was going on, but he seemed embarrassed by it. "You shouldn't be embarrassed, it's quite normal you know." She wasn't ignorant to the fact that teenage boys experienced frequent erections. It amused her and she couldn't help feel a little turned on by Yugi's arousal. She kissed him again, this time, far more seductively than she had planned.

Pleasantly startled by her reaction, Yugi felt a wave of relief that she didn't think he was being a pervert. Here he was sitting on his bed, with his shirt and trousers undone. And Anzu was kissing him like she was really hungry for him. He responded by kissing her feverishly, their tongues battling for supremacy. Yugi couldn't prevent his hands sliding under her skirt and grasping at her hips as he rolled her onto his bed and pressed himself against her. Anzu giggled slightly at the feel of his arousal pressing against her abdomen. She didn't push him away when his hand slipped inside her panties.

"Yugi, Anzu. I am just serving dinner." They both startled and sat bolt upright at the sound of Yugi's mother standing on the stairs, shouting up at them. Yugi had the horrific vision of her suddenly opening the door and barging in on them. Even though he had banned her from entering without his room knocking. They both looked down at themselves. Yugi's shirt had been completely removed and his erection had somehow managed to thrust itself out of the flap in his boxers. Anzu's panties had managed to end up hanging off one ankle, while the buttons on her blouse were all undone.

As quick as lightening they both frantically started to straighten up their clothing.

"I'm so sorry Anzu," Yugi said tucking himself back into his boxers, carefully trying to zip his trousers back up. "You hadn't given me permission. I shouldn't have gone that far. I promised you I wouldn't," he fretted, scurrying over to the door and hastily calling out. "Thanks mum, just on our way."

"It _does_ take two you know," Anzu laughed nervously. "And I didn't exactly try to stop you." She wondered what might have happened if his mother hadn't come along. Would she have got cold feet at the last minute? She wasn't sure of the answer to that.

"You know, I was ready to go all the way just then, If my mother hadn't interrupted us," he confessed.

Anzu suddenly felt a little nervous about what might had happened. She avoided answering him. "We should go down for some dinner now, your mum will be getting suspicious."

"You go. I er.. need to use the bathroom first." He looked down at the uncomfortable bulge in his trousers.

"Oh.. Oh! Yes." Anzu blushed, understanding what he meant. His mother would be sure to notice that! "I will see you downstairs then."

Yugi joined them in the kitchen around seven minutes later. He slid very quickly into his seat and apologised for keeping them waiting.

After dinner, they stayed in the living room and did some of their English homework. Whilst they could both speak English fairly well, the written language was far more difficult for them to master, but working together they soon got it done.

Feeling too embarrassed, neither mentioned what had happened earlier.

At around nine Anzu said she needed to get home. Yugi offered to walk her, but Anzu told him she would be fine walking on her own. It had been a long eventful day and she thought he looked tired. Yugi's mother stepped in and offered to take her home in the car.

"Are you sure Mrs. Mutou?"

"Of course, it will only take five minutes by car. In fact, I should let Yugi drive, he has been taking lessons."

"Really? You didn't tell me you were learning to drive Yugi?"

"I wanted to surprise you when I passed my test. Grandpa has been teaching me. I didn't say anything because I thought Jonouchi would tease me."

"Don't be silly, of course he wouldn't tease you."

"I will have to come with you also," his mother added. "He is not allowed to drive without a qualified driver yet."

With Yugi's mother in the passenger seat, Anzu sat in the back of the Mutou family's white Toyota Aqua. Anzu was very impressed with Yugi's driving, she wondered how long he had been learning for. It couldn't have been more than a few weeks, but as with most challenges, he was a fast learner and was most proficient. Anzu found herself looking forward to him having his own car. She pictured them in a red, open top sports car, with him driving her out into the countryside for a romantic pic nic. She snapped out of her dream when she heard him calling her name.

"Hey, earth to Anzu, we are at your house."

"Oops, I was just zoning out," she giggled. "It shows how safe I feel with you driving."

Yugi got out of the car and walked with her to her door, mainly so that they could say goodbye without his mother hearing.

The young lovers embraced. "About tonight. Just so you know," he was mumbling, trying not to stutter. "If..if we had, y you know.. done it. I would still respect your honour, I love you and would never hurt you."

Anzu smiled and kissed him. "I know you would. I trust you Yugi, you are a perfect gentleman and I Love you too." She gave him a peck on the cheek. "See you at eight fifteen in the morning, for the to walk to school." He watched her open her front door and go inside. Before closing the door she blew him a kiss. He caught it, before turning and striding back to the car with a huge grin on his face. One day he would ask her to marry him. There may be a few hurdles along the way to overcome, such as Anzu going to New York and him at university. He would probably be travelling to Egypt on digs, and competing in duel monsters tournaments as well. But one way or another they would make it work, he would make sure of it.

* * *

**I think I am quite happy with this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it too.**

**Please review.**


	10. Chapter 10

Dragged my heels a bit with this, but here is the next chapter.

No warnings. It is devoid of my usual innuendo, smut and violence.

Just a reminder that I don't own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 10. A Busy Weekend.

At last, it was the weekend. Friday had been a slightly embarrassing experience for Yugi. He had no trouble standing in a stadium, surrounded by cheering fans while dueling. But the thought of standing on a stage in front of the whole school had freaked him out!

The headmaster had used the weekly Friday morning assembly, to introduce Yugi to the pupils as the new ambassador. This honour was usually bestowed upon students who had demonstrated themselves to be outstanding individuals among their peers; either academically or within the community. And since Yugi had risen above the bullying to become famous all over the world as the reigning duel monsters world champion and King of Games, he was given this honour.

Yugi had been forced to sit with the teachers, on stage, while the headmaster had given a rather embarrassing speech about how he had worked his way from being a timid, small boy, with slightly above average grades, who found it difficult to fit in and was often bullied. To being a confident, strong minded young man, with a will to succeed and be the best in the world at his chosen skill. He had used his strengths to overcome his weakness. Because of this, he was a shining example, that anyone can succeed at something, if they put their mind to it.

Throughout the whole speech, Yugi could feel eight hundred pairs of eyes all looking intently at him, many in awe, some with hope and a few full of jealousy.

He wished the Shadow Realm would open up and swallow him.

Afterwards, he had been asked to address the students. His body felt like a plank of wood as he stood up in front of the microphone. Thankfully the bruising he had sustained the previous day had not been too bad thanks to Mai, with her excellent skills of using make up to conceal the bruise. No body could see it unless they looked really closely.

At first he had no idea what on earth to say. "Ahem." His amplified voice echoed around the school hall. _Oh crap!_

He glanced at his scribbled notes and began the speech he had prepared. Saying that he was honoured at being chosen as an ambassador for the school.

Without realising he had done it, he crumpled the notes in his hand and stuffed them in his pocket. He didn't really need them, for as soon as he started talking the words just kind of rolled off his tongue. He even amazed himself with how easy he had found it.

He held his posture confidently and addressed the pupils. "When I first came to this school, I was bullied because I was quiet and shy, and kept to myself. Because of this, people tended to either pick on me or ignore me completely. I was just this kid with the weird hair, who sat playing games on his own. Deep down I was desperate to make friends but I didn't know how. I was also frightened to tell anyone I was being bullied." He paused for a moment to gauge the reaction. It was favourable so he continued. "My wish, is to make the fear and isolation that students feel when they are being bullied, a thing of the past."

He swept his hand out in a gesture towards his audience. "I know for a fact, that some of you are being bullied. I also know that some of you _are_ bullies. My aim is to make you look closely at yourself. Why do you get bullied? Why do you bully others? I want you to think; how _does_ the person who's lunch money you just stole, feel? Would you like it if someone bigger punched you and took your money every day? I will tell you. You would feel lonely, miserable and dread coming to school."

He could see lots of students nodding in agreement and looking at others who they knew were bullies or had experienced bullying. Yugi looked right at one of the boys who was known to liberate younger children of their money. The boy immediately looked down and started nervously twiddling his thumbs.

"If you see someone is being picked on, I want to know about it. Please do not allow yourself to turn a blind eye when you see someone having their lunch money beaten out of them. Tell me, or one of the teachers and we will ensure that the perpetrator is dealt with." He turned and gestured to the teaching staff. "I trust that I will have your support in taking a stance against these spiteful acts of cruelty, that make the everyday life of some students, miserable?" The teachers all nodded. They too, had often felt frustrated by the reluctance of young victims to report their attackers. Pupils were often afraid to 'grass' on fellow pupils, for fear of reprisal. It made it difficult for them to discipline the minority of badly behaved students.

Yugi was on a roll now. It was his chance to stop other people suffering the helplessness and loneliness he had suffered. "If you see someone who seems withdrawn or unhappy, befriend them! It won't kill you, and you might even find you like that person!" He paused while there was a round of clapping. As it died away, he started to talk again.

"Just one more thing. I would like to start a games club, where people can bring in their favourite games to play. I am happy to teach people how to play duel monsters. I'm sure my friend Jonouchi would be keen to pass on his knowledge too."

Jonouchi grinned and stood slightly to answer. "You bet I do Yuge."

Yugi smiled at his friend. "Thanks Jonouchi. Okay, I will place a notice on the board, and if you are interested you can put your name down. We can then arrange a suitable time with the teaching staff."

When he had finished, everyone stood up cheering and clapping. He had been impressive. Anzu had tears of joy in her eyes at the reaction he received. This was _her _Yugi. Two years ago, she would never have imagined it possible that he could present himself in such a commanding way. He reminded her of Atem, and the imposing way charisma used to ooze from _him_. It was not that surprising when she thought about it, Yugi had learnt from Atem, and Atem had once said that Yugi had the heart of a Pharaoh.

The most amusing part came when Yugi went to leave the hall. There in the corridor was the boy Yugi had glared at. He was obviously on a guilt trip, because he was standing in the corridor handing back all the money he had stolen, and was apologising to his victims. Yugi smiled to himself. _Looks like he has learnt something today and turned over a new leaf. I hope it continues._

::::::::::::

Looking forward to the day ahead, Yugi stretched himself out and then rolled out of bed. Anzu always had ballet lessons on a Saturday morning, and since the ballet studio was in the same fitness centre as the gym and swimming pool, they had all decided to go along together, so that Yugi and Jonouchi could enrol, and find out when the martial arts classes were held.

Anzu had already started her lesson by the time Yugi and Jonouchi had finished filling out their application forms and liability waivers. They ticked all the boxes to state that they were both fit and healthy. Mai, already a member, had got bored and gone into the gym without them.

After they had been given a tour of the fitness studio, they were given an induction into the gym and shown how to use the exercise machines.

They were then left on their own to do their workout.

"Finally!" Jonouchi exclaimed. "I thought that was never gonna end. Forty minutes! Shit, I dunno if I can be arsed to do anything now," he yawned.

"It was kind of tedious," Yugi agreed.

They were joined by Mai, who quickly reprimanded them. "But it was for your own safety, you idiots. You can hurt yourself on this equipment if you don't know how to use it. Anyway, did you find out about the martial arts classes?" She asked.

"Yup, sure did. Karate tomorrow morning," Jonouchi said, adopting a fighting stance. "Hii..ya!" He did a Karate style kick.

Yugi groaned and looked round when he heard someone snigger. People were watching them with amusement. He felt a bit embarrassed. It wasn't cool to look like a dork in front of all these fit muscular looking guys.

"For god sake you moron. Stop showing yourself up." Mai had also noticed the stares. "You can be really embarrassing sometimes."

"So what. I don't care." Jonouchi marched off towards the weights racks.

After he had gone, Mai turned back to Yugi "So, What classes did you want to do Yugi?" She cringed upon hearing Jonouchi grunt when he selected some weights to use. He then boasted. "Ya, who's da man. Watch out Arnie." They guy next to him sneered at him and moved away slightly when Jonouchi started waving his weights around.

"Just ignore him, he will be fine once he calms down," Yugi assured her.

"Yeah, I guess. It still makes me cringe though. He will get chucked out if he waves the weights around like that." She winked at Yugi. She always did have a soft spot for the spiky haired boy. She had also held a great deal of respect for his other personality, the Pharaoh. All that Ancient Egyptian spirit stuff had sounded a bit far fetched at first, but nothing really surprised her anymore. And after that whole Orichalcos fiasco, nothing weird would ever surprise her again! "Anyway, did you see a class that grabbed you?"

"Well, I quite like the look of Aikido. The emphasis is on defence rather than offence. I might sign up to do that on a Monday and Wednesday."

"Yeah..." Mai nodded. "I can see that suiting you. Not sure about Hong Kong Jouey over there though. He is more your knuckle headed gorilla type." The remark made Yugi laugh.

"Well, time to try out some of this equipment I guess. He decided to go on the rowing machine first, it looked fun.

After they had finished in the gym, they went to find Anzu. Her dance class had ended but she had stayed in the studio with her tutor to work on some more detailed moves. She was keeping it secret at the moment, but she was planning on auditioning for a part in a local production of On Your Toes.

While Jonouchi waited outside in the corridor with Mai, Yugi went to the studios to find her. The dance studio was divided into two rooms. She wasn't in the first one that Yugi looked in. He could hear music coming from the other room so he decided to look in there.

Sure enough, there she was, gracefully dancing to a piece of music that Yugi didn't recognise.

Smiling, he leant against the door frame with his hands in his track pants pockets, and watched her with admiration and love in his eyes. She looked so beautiful.

She didn't seem to be aware that he was standing there, watching her. Oh, how he wished he could walk gracefully over to her, take her in his arms and dance with her seductively, full of romance, passion and artistic grace. Unfortunately, his inability to express himself in this way, and with his clumsy two left feet! He would probably trip them both up. So he just stood gazing at her.

As soon as the music faded, her dance instructor gestured in Yugi's direction. "Your boyfriend is waiting."

Anzu almost jumped in surprise. How much of her routine had he seen? She had always felt a little embarrassed dancing in front of her friends and family. Whenever her parents asked her to show them what she had been learning, she would always get a fit of giggles and forget her routine.

She came skipping over to him gracefully and with poise. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him away from the door frame he was leaning on.

"Yugi! Did you.. How long..?"

"Quite a while." He cut her off before she finished her sentence. "That was fantastic, you are so graceful, beautiful and amazing." His voice was full of emotion.

She kissed his cheek. _Oh, Yugi.._"How was the gym? Did you find a class you want to do?"

"Yeah, gym was great and I found an Aikido class that might suit me. C'mon, Mai and Jou are waiting for us. If you're ready to leave that is."

Anzu looked at her teacher. She nodded her approval. "I think we should leave it there for today. If you can make it at 11am tomorrow morning, we can go over the rest of your routine."

Grabbing her bag and pulling on her grey tracksuit trousers and pink hooded top, emblazoned with the logo 'Dance Star,' Anzu followed yugi outside.

"What routine is that you are learning. Is it for anything special?" He was suspicious, he could sense that she was keeping something secret.

_He knows. _ Now she was going to have to tell him before she was ready to. Still, she knew she could trust him not to tell Jonouchi or Mai just yet.

"Promise you won't tell anyone yet?"

He nodded, "Of course I won't. You know you can trust me!"

"Okay. I am learning the routine for On Your Toes. It was a Broadway hit. A local company are doing a production. Don't laugh, but I thought I would audition."

Yugi didn't laugh. "Wow, that's fantastic. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because, I want to go for the lead female role. I'm probably not good enough anyway, so I didn't want every ones sympathy when I failed."

"Don't be silly. You won't fail and you don't have to do these things on your own! I want to support you." He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I know. I'm silly. I shouldn't get embarrassed about failing. But I can't help it."

"Yeah, well I think you are awesome, and you will blow them all away with your beauty. You certainly blow me away." He embraced her in a hug.

"Thank you Yugi. I don't deserve you do I?"

He smirked. "Mmmm... Nope, you don't." There was a hint of humour in his voice. Anzu playfully slapped his arm.

"Hey, what kept you?" Jonouchi demanded to know, when they finally arrived back in the reception area.

"Anzu's lesson hadn't finished," Yugi told him.

"Anyone fancy getting a burger?" Jonouchi suggested.

"Have you guys all showered? I could use a shower before I go anywhere," Anzu was still in her ballet kit underneath her clothing.

"Not yet," Yugi admitted.

Jonouchi sniffed at his own armpit. "Nah, I didn't bring a towel or nothing. We can sit outside. No one will notice if we stink, not with all that greasy fast food smell."

"Well, I can certainly smell you," Mai wrinkled her nose at him. "I suggest we do the drive through and then go to the park to eat. I'm not letting you eat those disgusting things in my new car."

"That sounds like a plan. Burger World drive through it is then," Yugi stated. Everyone nodded their agreement.

::::::::::::

When he woke up the next morning, Yugi could hardly move! "Ow!" He carefully got out of bed and tried to stretch. Someone had tied his muscles in knots; muscles he didn't even know he had!

He pulled his dressing gown on and gingerly walked downstairs to the kitchen. His mother was busy making breakfast - placing items on a tray to take up to Sugoroku, who enjoyed having his breakfast in bed on a Sunday morning, whilst listening to the radio. Yugi called the radio programme he listened to an old persons show.

His mother looked at him with an amused expression and raised an eyebrow. "Did someone over do it in the gym yesterday?"

He raised his arms above his head, grimacing. His shoulders and chest felt sore. "I have discovered muscles I didn't know existed." His lower back also felt a bit tight.

"Oh dear! I think your grandfather wants you to rearrange the displays, ready for the mid season sale today."

"What! Why didn't he tell me? I was going to meet my friends at the arcade this afternoon."

His mother handed him a mug of tea. "Maybe your friends can help."

"Maybe... I will call them."

His mother frowned. He seemed a little disappointed at the prospect of working on Sunday. She couldn't blame him, Sugoroku was naughty sometimes, to just expect Yugi to drop his plans to help in the shop. "Are you hungry? I have made some miso soup with fried tofu and nori seaweed. Your grandfather wanted rice porridge. I have made extra if you wanted some of that instead. "

"I'm starving. Can I have both please?" All that exercise had left him with a huge appetite this morning. Plus if he was going to be moving shelving...

"My my. You must be hungry. Are you having another growth spurt I wonder?"

He laughed. "I hope so!"

After he had finished eating, he rang his friends. They were all happy to help out. The only person missing would be Ryou, he was working as a volunteer first aider at a football match that afternoon.

Anzu would be over after lunch, when her ballet practice had finished.

In the end it was just Honda who arrived to help out after Jonouchi called back to say he had just received a call from the police. His father had been on another bender and had managed to get himself arrested for antisocial behaviour, yet again.

Jonouchi hated the responsibility of going to the police station to fetch his drunken old man, so Mai was going to go with him to lend moral support. Thankfully, his father was usually quiet, docile and reflective, once he had sobered up over night in a police cell.

"I'm really sorry son. I promise this is definitely the last time. I'm going to stop drinking at get my life back together. I really mean it this time."

"Yeah, yeah. No sweat pops. I really wish I could believe you." As usual, Jonouchi was sceptical. He had heard this dozens of times before.

Mai nearly threw up at the smell when they lead him out to her car. He stunk of vomit, stale booze, cigarettes and piss. Hastily, she grabbed a blanket from the boot and threw it over the seats. She didn't want _that_ smell on the soft cream leather upholstery."

"He'll never change Mai. But he's still _my_ dad," Jonouchi told her sadly, as he slipped into the passenger seat beside her and fastened his seatbelt.

Mai placed a comforting hand over his and smiled softly. "You never give up on him though, do you." It was one of his endearing qualities. He always remained hopeful and never gave up on a person, no matter how awfully they had behaved; herself included.

She kept her window wound down as they drove home.

* * *

**I can't believe I wrote a friendship speech! I have been watching some Yugioh episodes and it must have rubbed off on me. I can't believe how many friendship speeches and do good lectures 4 Kids put in. It gets a bit nauseating after a while. Tea always gets verbal abuse on fan fic for it, but Yami,** Yugi** and even Joey were just as bad! No wonder I prefer the manga.**

**Please review.**


	11. Chapter 11

Happy Easter weekend everyone.

I have tried to write this chapter around a one shot I did last year called Happy Birthday Yugi. I know it is not Yugi's birthday for another two months, but I dodn't want to keep you waiting that long for the next chapter. I have also re-written parts of Happy Birthday Yugi to better accommodate this story.

There are some exciting developments in this chapter. Be warned: this contains some adult content (Nothing really graphic though)

I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 11. About Time.

The weekend always seemed to be over too quickly. Anzu could not believe it was Monday morning again already; she felt tired this morning.

Mai on the other hand was wide awake and as annoying as hell. "Would you like some matchsticks to prop those eyelids open?" She grinned at Anzu, who was slumped over her mug of miso soup, yawning.

"Some of us have been working hard all weekend. I had a massive assignment to finish, a dance routine to perfect and on top of that, try and spend quality time with Yugi."

"Couldn't he help you with the assignment?"

"He did! That was what I meant by quality time!"

"Well, it couldn't have been as bad as taking Jonouchi's father home from the drunk tank. Poor kid, I never knew he had it _that _bad."

"I know, he doesn't like people to know about his home life- he's ashamed. For him to let you into his life like that, means he really loves you. You don't judge him for it and that's nice. I'm so happy you two are together."

"You and me both honey. Anyway, what about you? How are things with you and Yugi? He seems less... uptight than he did last week. You seem more relaxed too."

"Yeah.. we talked. He is quite happy to wait."

"Hmmm. Yeah, well guys will only wait so long you know."

"I know that!" Anzu snapped. "Sorry, but Yugi is not pushy like that."

"Yeah but he is still a man, and men have needs." Mai winked at her. "And women do too you know!"

Anzu blushed. "I must admit," she giggled, "he does make me feel nice."

"You mean horny."

"Mai! Okay, if you put it like that, then yes.. horny." Anzu smiled with embarrasment.

Mai sat back in her chair and folded her arms. "Anyway, isn't it his birthday on Thursday?"

Anzu nodded at her question, "Ah ha.."

"Any idea what you are getting him? Jonouchi said, Grandpa plans to shut up shop early and have a bit of a party."

"Yes, Yugi knows about it, but Jonouchi promised to get him out of the way for a bit, while we set everything up."

Mai raised her eyebrows suggestively. "Maybe you can give him a birthday he won't forget?"

Anzu's face turned a shade redder. "Oh my god! Look at the time. I am going to be late for school if I don't hurry."

"Want a lift? We can pick Yugi up on the way. I'm already picking bozo up. You have five minutes to get ready." She wasn't actually in that much of a hurry, but it was fun to see Anzu leap up and run up the stairs in a rush to get ready on time. "I will phone Yugi and let him know we're picking him up." She shouted after Anzu.

::::::::::::

Yugi was amazed at the amount of effort they had put into decorating the house for his party. If only Atem was still here to enjoy the fun as well. He tried not to dwell on his other self for too long; Atem would have forbade it. It was his birthday and he shouldn't be sad.

Unfortunately, because it was a week day and they had school the next day, the party would only be going on until ten thirty. Grandpa had insisted on it. Yugi wanted to argue, but as tempting as it was, he knew that bunking off school the next day was not an option.

It was now nine o'clock and the party was in full swing. Jonouchi and Honda were alone in the kitchen, helping themselves to more beer.

"Hey..Honda. You seen Yugi and Anzu lately?" Jonouchi quizzed.

"Nah, not for about an hour now," he grinned with a smirk.

"Meh heh.. I bet I know what they are up to." He thought back to his earlier conversation with Yugi. _So, he had finally plucked up the courage_. "Way to go, those two. It's about time." Fuelled by the booze he had consumed, a wicked idea came to him. "How about we go and bang on his bedroom door? Give em a real fright," he giggled drunkenly.

"Man.. that's cruel," Honda shook his head and then grinned childishly. "Bloody brilliant idea though."

"Ya! High five." The two slapped hands together. "Let's go."

As the two of them turned to leave the kitchen and head to Yugi's room they ran straight into Mai, standing in the doorway with her arms folded, listening to their conversation. Jonouchi gulped, she did not look pleased.

"You two morons will do _no _such thing! Do you know how long it has taken them to get _this _far?"

" Mai I just.." Jonouchi suddenly felt guilty.

"You just weren't thinking were you. Why don't you just grow up and behave like adults for once."

"Yeah, it was a bad idea of yours Jonouchi." Honda slapped him round the head, a little harder than he intended due to the alcohol he had consumed.

"Fuck off man! I don't believe you is blaming me, you two faced bastard..." Jonouchi went to grab Honda by the throat.

"Oh...Will you two just shut the fuck up!" At the sound of Mai shouting at them they both went quiet and stared at her sheepishly. "I heard you-you idiot. It was your idea. You are coming outside with me for some fresh air..sober you up a bit." She grabbed his hand and dragged him away from Honda.

"Oi..I ain't drunk. I only had a couple.." Honda stood leaning against the work counter listening to Jonouchi's protests fade, as Mai dragged him downstairs to the back yard.

As soon as they were outside, Mai pulled him into the secluded passage behind the stock room, and shoved him roughly against the wall.

"Hey, what's with the rough treatment Mai?" He complained grabbing her shoulders and pushing her away slightly. Her face was flushed, due to the amount of wine she had consumed.

"Shut up complaining and just kiss me already," she ordered, her voice rather gravelly and seductive.

"I...If you say so Mai. But what if someone catches us?"

"The risk makes it all the more fun don't you think?" The fresh air on top of the wine was making her speech slightly slurred.

"Yeah..." He chuckled. "I like.." He didn't finish his sentence because Mai kissed him. He swung her round so that she was against the wall and he was in control.

After a few moments of fervent kissing, they pulled apart for air.

"Anyway, we can't let Yugi and Anzu have all the fun tonight," she growled against his mouth, while her fingers worked at undoing his belt and zipper.

He pushed her skirt up and hurriedly yanked her underwear down, lifting her up at the same time so that she could wrap her legs around his waist.

The intoxicating mix of alcohol and night air was wafting away any inhibitions they might have felt, adding excitement to the risk of someone coming out for a crafty cigarette and catching them at it.

::::::::::::

Yugi lay with Anzu on his bed totally naked, the crumpled up duvet nestled beneath them. A pink flush gracing both their faces as they relaxed in the afterglow, enjoying the warm fuzzy feeling of togetherness it gave them.

He gently caressed Anzu's naked shoulder with his hand as she cuddled up to him, her head resting on his chest, while her fingers tenderly traced little patterns over his abdomen, enjoying the soft warmth of his body. Every now and again her hand would trace across his pubic region causing the hairs there to tickle, making him flinch slightly.

He moved his other hand up to her silky hair and gently stroked an errant strand away from her face. "Hey, that tickles." His voice low and contented.

"Yugi?" She spoke in return, dreamily.

"Hmmm." He lifted his head slightly, almost straining his neck to look at her.

She lifted her head up to meet his gaze. "We did it, didn't we." _What a stupid thing to say Mazaki, she chided herself. _

Yugi chuckled. "Yep, we did. Erm, sorry if it was a bit, well, not very good. I was frightened of hurting you." She had been trembling slightly due to her anxiousness to begin with.

"You were very gentle Yugi. I admit, I was a little tense to begin with, because I was worried it would hurt. It stung a bit at first. I'm sure it will get better as we learn to relax more."

"So I _was _rubbish then. I swear, putting a condom on in the heat of the moment, when your hands are shaking, is a lot harder than practising on those plastic things they had in sex ed." _God she must have thought I was so clumsy._

Anzu smiled and shifted slightly to meet his gaze. "I must admit, it was funny watching you fumble. Funny in a nice way that is. And stop saying you were rubbish. You weren't. If anything, it was me who was rubbish. It must have been like making out with a plank of wood!"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "I wouldn't know what that feels like. I'm not into that sort of thing!"

"Yugi! That's crude!" She went to kiss him but got a fit of giggles, which started him off giggling as well.

"Do you want to go and re-join the party yet?" He asked half heartedly, once they had regained themselves.

"Not really. I'm enjoying being here with you." She ran her fingers along his hairline, pushing his golden bangs away from his face. "Do you?"

"No, not yet. Lets stay here for another ten minutes. I want to make the most of my beautiful birthday present." He let his eyes drift over her, taking in the shape of her breasts and the feel of them touching his body. A little tingle ran through him, making him shiver in delight. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "Thank you," he whispered, "for making my birthday so special."

"Don't be silly, you don't have to thank me. You_ are _special, you deserve it. I kept you waiting long enough didn't I."

"You had every right to wait until you felt ready. I would never have forced you to do anything you didn't want to. Anyway, you are worth waiting for," he purred, placing a tender kiss on her forehead. "Can I ask you something?" He didn't wait for her to reply before continuing. "You didn't let me make love to you just because you knew it was what I wanted, did you?"

"No! Of course not. I was ready. I love you and it felt..right." She chuckled. "And besides Mai was giving me a hard time," she added, with a hint of amusement.

"What! You spoke to Mai about our sex life?! That's so embarrassing."

"No it's not silly. She was actually very helpful. She has quite a lot of experience."

"Yeah, I kind of guessed she might." He glanced at the clock on his desk. "C'mon, as much as I want to spend all night making love with you, we had better go back to the party before they miss us. It's nearly ten and the party is supposed to finish in thirty minutes."

Reluctantly, they both got up and started to collect their discarded clothing.

::::::::::::

"Ah, Yugi, Anzu... There you are! Where on earth have you been?" Just as they had reached the bottom of the stairs, Sugoroku appeared from the kitchen and immediately accosted them.

Their faces went pink. Yugi scratched the back of his head as he replied. "Er.. around, you know..."

"I just needed to use the bathroom. The one downstairs was busy, so I used the one next to Yugi's room." Sugoroku looked up at Anzu who was still standing on the bottom stair, looking like a naughty child who had just been caught with her fingers in the cookie jar.

"Oh...well never mind," he winked at them knowingly, causing them both to blush. "If anyone asks, you were helping me. I thought I heard a noise outside behind the store room a little while ago, I think it was probably a couple of cats squabbling. I threw a bucket of water out of the window to frighten them away. And then I remembered that I had forgotten to put the days takings in the safe."

Anzu tried to force a grateful smile as she slid past Yugi and headed towards the sitting room. She had half expected to old man to say something perverted like he usually did!

Yugi turned to his grandfather, his face still pink with embarrassment. "T.. th..anks Grandpa," he stuttered.

Sugoroku clamped Yugi on the back, congratulating him. "That's my boy," he winked. "Just as long as you were careful and used a condom. Us Mutous are fertile and I'm not quite ready for great grandchildren.. just yet."

Yugi gulped and glared at him in horror. "Grandpa! Of course we were." He turned and scurried after Anzu. _Good job she didn't hear him say that!_

As soon as he was back in the sitting room, he spotted Mai and Jonouchi in the corner, they both appeared to be wet! Anzu had already approached them so Yugi rushed up beside her, just in time to hear her ask why they were both soaked. Realization hit him. So they were the two cats Grandpa was talking about. He bit back a snigger as Mai answered Anzu's question.

"You really don't want to know hon.."

"It's not raining out, is it?" Anzu pushed.

"Nah, just bucketing down." Jonouchi joked, with a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Anyway, you two had a _good _time?" He made a rude gesture with his arm and fist clenched, causing Anzu to slap him on the shoulder, quite hard.

"Don't be so filthy," she scolded.

"Yes," Yugi replied calmly. "At least we didn't get a bucket of water chucked over us by Grandpa." He was unable to stop the smirk that appeared on his face.

"That was Gramps! Oh man! That's the last time I let you drag me into an alleyway Mai."

"Don't blame me, you chump." She slapped him on the back of the head.

"Shit, will you women stop hittin me!"

"What on earth are you three talking about?" Anzu was confused by their conversation, so Yugi explained quietly.

"They were making out in the side passage behind the store room. Grandpa heard it and thought it was cats, so he threw a bucket out of the window at them."

Anzu clasped her hands over her face to stifle her laughter. "Oh... that.. is.. priceless," she gasped out in between giggles.

"Yeah, well not all of us had the luxury of making out in Yugi's bedroom," Mai retorted rather too loud.

Yugi's aunty and uncle were standing nearby, talking to Seto Kaiba. All three heard. His aunty gave Yugi a rather mortified and distasteful look, while his uncle grinned and gave him the thumbs up sign. Yugi liked his mothers brother, uncle Minato. He had a great sense of humour and told really funny jokes. Uncle Minato's wife, Chika was a little more reserved and preferred to follow traditional Japanese values. She disapproved of promiscuous behaviour.

Yugi swallowed nervously and gave his aunty and uncle an innocent wave.

Seto Kaiba meanwhile, smirked with extreme amusement. "The looks on your faces are priceless. Be grateful it is your birthday Yugi, otherwise I would be thinking of something highly amusing to say, that would have you four dweebs cringing with embarrassment."

"Like we care about what you say anyway Kaiba," Jonouchi retorted.

"But I could still change my mind." He levelled his smirk at Jonouchi.

Jonouchi desperately wanted to retaliate, but the 'You dare start a fight' look on Mai and Anzu's faces made him back down.

Yugi decided it was time to change the subject. He was dying to find out when Kaiba expected to open his first Kaibaland theme park.

::::::::::::

After everyone had gone home, Yugi flopped down on the sofa. "This is going to take some cleaning up." He really didn't feel like doing it now.

He watched his mother as she filled a tray with dirty glasses. "I'm just going to fill the dishwasher for now," she told him. "I will clean up tomorrow morning. Did you enjoy yourself tonight?"

The tray his mother was holding looked heavy so he pushed himself up to stand and took the tray from her. "Let me take that. Yes thanks mum, I had a fantastic time." He wondered if she suspected that he had taken Anzu up to his room for sex. He was unsure if his mother would approve.. or not.

"It's a shame Anzu had to go home. I got the impression she was going to stay the night after you both disappeared."

Yugi almost dropped the tray in shock. He gaped at his mother, jaw flapping as he tried to think of what to say.

She smiled at him warmly. Her little boy was all grown up. She was full of mixed emotions.

Part of her still wanted to mother him; treat him like her baby boy. But her reasoning acknowledged that he was now a young adult with a life of his , deep down he would always be her little boy, no matter how old he was, or how big he grew. And she could see that he and Anzu were in love.

She didn't disapprove if they were sexually active, after all, she had met and fallen in love with Yugi's father when she was just eighteen.

It was a shame Yugi's father was not home right now to give their son some fatherly advice. She felt a little awkward talking to Yugi about it herself, and she was not sure if she approved of Sugoroku's methods. Last time he had tried to give Yugi 'the talk' the poor boy had almost been traumatised when his attempt to explain the importance of using a condom had become sidetracked by his own mischievous past. He had ended up reminiscing about being seduced by a belly dancer, in a seedy backstreet gambling club in Marakesh. Subsequently ending up in the clinic for antibiotics to clear up the resulting infection. Poor Yugi had not needed to know about that! Yugi idolised the old man and would be horrified if he knew _every_ detail of Sugoroku's misspent past.

"Yugi, I'm sorry your dad couldn't make it home. I know he wanted to be here. It's a shame, you could have had a chat with him."

"Mum?" Yugi was confused. "I know, I spoke to him earlier, remember? He rang when the party started, as arranged with you." Why on earth was she giving him that strange look?

"Sorry Yugi, I'm not making any sense am I. What I'm trying to say is.. if you need to talk to me about relationship issues, or you have any concerns, please feel free. I know your father would probably handle it better but I don't want you to feel awkward about discussing anything that worries you. Or you can talk to your grandfather if you wish."

"Mum you don't have to worry. I know what you are thinking. We were sensible and took precautions, okay." She nodded in response. "And please, don't let Grandpa give me another of his talks. I am still recovering from the last one of those." They both started laughing.

"I have just locked up." Sugoroku entered the room and caught the end of the conversation. "Ooh! Did I miss something interesting?"

"No!" Both Yugi and his mother said at the same time.

His mother provided the explanation. "We were just discussing the cleaning. I said it can wait until tomorrow. Yugi, you should get to bed soon, otherwise you won't get up for school in the morning."

"Yup, I will just take this tray out and then head straight up. Night Grandpa. Night Mum." He hurried out to the kitchen and dumped the tray on the drainer. He found a clean glass in the cupboard and filled it with fresh drinking water before heading up to his room.

He smiled as he ascended the stairs. Although twenty was considered the coming of age in Japan. He felt that he was no longer a boy. Tonight he had become a man.

* * *

**And about time too I hear you say. **

**Please review.**


	12. Chapter 12

Yawn... what a busy weekend, I am knackered. Done two one hour swimming sessions, running, cycling and been on a hike. I wanted to get this chapter posted though. I have given it a quick once over but I'm tired and probably missed some mistakes. So I apologise if there are any typos.

Warning: Some adult content. And a naked Yugi taking a shower.

I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 12. Schools Out.

Summer had now well and truly arrived, and with it the long hot days that were so familiar to this part of Japan.

It was now the end of June and the trees were displaying a rich variety of vibrant green leaves, providing welcome shade from the hot sun. In the flower beds, plants were in full bloom, filling the warm air with their intoxicating scent. All competing to attract bees and other insects so that they may spread their pollen.

Domino park was so full of life at this time of year.

School had closed early today, after someone had decided to let stink bombs off outside the teachers staff room, before starting a fire in the boys locker room; virtually destroying it.

Jonouchi and Mai had decided to go for a drive out to Mount Fuji. They had asked if Yugi and Anzu wanted to go with them, but they had declined, preferring to spend the afternoon with just the two of them, together in the Park.

"This is a nice spot. What do you think?" Yugi asked as he spread a small rug out under a shady tree. Apart from joggers and dog walkers, not many people used this part of the park. It was fairly secluded. They could talk and maybe fool around a little; Yugi hoped.

Things had been going really well since his birthday party, when they had overcome their shyness and made love.

All right, so they hadn't set the world on fire; it had been a bit of a fumble. His hands had started shaking so much with anticipation, that he had struggled to undo the foil packet on the condom. And then, when he had got it open, he had dropped it between her legs and she had ended up sitting on it when she moved to try and help find it. They had ended up giggling, which had at least helped ease their nervousness. Yugi smiled to himself at the memory. That first time had brought them so much closer as a couple.

"I still keep wondering who it was," Anzu wondered out loud. "I can think of at least two possible culprits." Anzu sat down and pulled her bento lunch box out of her bag.

"What? Oh! Yeah," Yugi laughed, breaking out of his thoughts, suddenly realising that she was talking about the incident at school. "A couple of years back, Jonouchi would have been a likely suspect. It's really good how he turned things around," he added.

Anzu leant over and kissed his cheek. "That's all down to you, you know Yugi. If you had not made friends with him, he would still be the complete jerk he was when he first came to our school."

"Did I really help him that much?! I think he helped me as much as I helped him. And anyway, that's not really why we became friends."

Yugi had never really analysed why they became such close friends. They were from such differing backgrounds, and really had nothing in common before they met. In fact he had hated Jonouchi and Honda at first, because they had tormented him so badly. Part of him had wanted to fight back and prove to Jonouchi that he _was_ a man; not a girl, or a cry baby. He just didn't want to use his fists to do so.

It had taken time, but slowly Jonouchi had realised that you didn't always need fists to win a battle. Yugi had learned that sometimes you did!

He sighed and pulled out his own bento. "What have you got in yours?" He enquired, peeling the lid off and poking at the sticky pieces of spicy beef, sticky rice, shredded pickled vegetables and a yoghurt dip.

"I have chicken, crispy sea vegetables, noodles and pickled cucumber with a lemon/mayo dip. We can share if you like?"

Yugi nodded and picked up a piece of beef with his chopsticks and reached out to feed it too her. Yugi looked longingly at her lips as she accepted the food offered.

"Mmm, delicious. Did your mum make it?"

He blinked and peered at her through his long lashes. "She does sometimes, but no, this came from the deli this morning. Mum is visiting her sister in Nagoya, so Grandpa went out to do the grocery shopping, really early."

"Oh.." God he was just so adorable when he blinked and looked at her like that! "Here, try this?" Anzu picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks and popped it into his mouth.

Yugi smirked when he noticed that Anzu had something on her face, just next to her mouth. "You have a blob of dip.. or something.. on your cheek, next to your mouth."

"Oh!" Anzu went to wipe the corner of her mouth.

"No, other side. Here, let me?" He leant forward and gently placed his mouth over the spot using his tongue to remove the lemon/mayo dip, kissing her face as he did so.

"Yugi!" Anzu gasped, "That might have had my saliva on it!"

"Mmm." Yugi arched his eyebrows in an amused expression. "That's why it tasted so good."

"That's gross!" Anzu couldn't stop herself from smirking mischievously. It was time to out gross him!

She stuck her finger in the dip, scooping out a big blob and then smearing it on his cheek, before poking her tongue out, licking it all off; making sure she trailed her tongue all the way from his chin to his cheek bone.

"Hey! You made my face all wet now." He grabbed her and pulled her close, rubbing his face against hers. They play wrestled for a few minutes, giggling and trying to lick each others faces, before Yugi ended up on top, with Anzu at his mercy. He threatened to plaster a big slobbery tongue all over her face.

"Don't you dare!" She squealed, scrunching her eyes up, waiting for the slobber attack that never came.

Instead he planted a big kiss on her forehead, before releasing her so they could go back to their food. "Did you think I actually would?!" He sniggered. "I wouldn't be _that_ disgusting."

"I would have been shocked if you had. I would expect Jonouchi to behave like that, not you."

After they had finished their bentos, they tidied the empty cartons away- to be put in a rubbish bin later.

Yugi flopped onto his back and gazed up to where Anzu was sitting next to him. He reached out and rubbed her arm affectionately. She took hold of his hand and laid down next to him. Together they gazed up into the tree canopy, watching the way little shafts of sunlight penetrated and flickered through the gently rustling leaves, giving them little glimpses of the blue sky above.

"Oooh, I love the summer," Anzu giggled. "I have heard New York summers can be really hot! But that the winters can be really bad, like the north of Japan. Blizzards and icy cold and..." She trailed off, realising that reminding him she would be leaving next spring was spoiling their afternoon. They had the whole of the summer holidays, followed by winter together first.

Propping himself up on one elbow, Yugi leant over her. "Just as long as you don't find someone else to keep you warm in New York." His eyebrows knotted together in a slight frown, he sounded and looked serious.

Anzu reached up and cupped his face in her hand. "Yugi! That will never happen. You are the only boy I love," she winked. "And besides, what about all those loose young women at university? I worry that they will be all over you. You are pretty hot you know."

"Hot! Me? Nah, they are only interested in me because of my title! I am most definitely not interested in anyone else but you."

"You say that Yugi Mutou, but how do I know? Things might change. You might get tempted." She winked and made it sound playful, but deep down she did worry a little. He was kind, loyal and sincere, but everyone changed over time. Even the nicest people could succumb to temptation. And if his fame ever did start to change him, or if he ever started to realise just how many of Atem's attractive qualities he had developed. In fact, he was even sexier than Atem now, because he lacked the arrogance, making him still very much Yugi!

Looking at him now, it was hard to remember him as the small weedy little guy, who used to hang his head submissively while trying to be invisible, just in case he got picked on.

Anzu was almost too ashamed to admit, that in the past she had been slightly embarrassed about going on a date with him, because it had been like going out with a twelve year old kid! Now however, she no longer had to look down to speak to him. And when she looked _up, _into his eyes, she could see the same intense sparkle in them that used to make her tummy tingle with delight when Atem had looked at her through Yugi's eyes.

"You can trust me. I give you my word Anzu Mazaki." He was sincere in his promise.

Stroking her hair away from her face he started peppering her face with little kisses. "Anyway," he said between each kiss, "We have..nearly.. nine months.. before.. you have.. to go." Anzu cupped his face in her her hands so that she could kiss his lips. Within moments their bodies were passionately entwined. Yugi made light work of undoing the clip on her bra, enabling him to slide his hand to her breasts.

They were startled suddenly, when a Labrador came bouncing over and started nudging them with its nose, barking playfully.

Both teens startled, and leaped apart. Anzu fumbling to reposition her bra and do the clasp back up before the dog's owner appeared.

The dog had dropped its saliva covered tennis ball on their picnic blanket and seemed to want them to throw it for her to chase.

The owner was very close, they could hear her calling the dogs name, so Yugi reacted quickly, picking the ball up and throwing it in the direction of the voice. The dog barked its appreciation and bounded after the ball, returning seconds later for Yugi to throw it again!

At that moment its owner appeared. Luckily Anzu had managed to do her bra back up, just in time.

However, it still didn't stop both teens faces from turning bright red. The dog's owner must have guessed what they were up to, because her face also flushed as she apologised profusely, ushering the dog away.

When she had gone, Yugi scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly. "Phew, that was close, ten minutes later and well...!"

::::::::::::

Mai allowed Jonouchi to drive her car up into the mountains. Even she had to admit he was a better driver than her! Which was surprising, given his excitable nature.

"This ought ta do." He pulled up and parked in a popular car parking area. There was a viewing platform nearby, where you could see right across the valley to the fields and villages of rural Japan. The views were stunning. Sometimes, wispy low cloud would hang in the valley, hugging the hillside like ghosts. Today, however it was warm and sunny; not a cloud to be seen.

The area was also ideal for hiking, with trails leading up to the summit of Mount Fuji and beyond- there were shorter walks for the less ambitious.

Mai got out and opened the boot to retrieve the picnic hamper, which she had managed to pack at short notice, with the help of Anzu's mother.

"Here, let me carry that Mai." Jonouchi grabbed the hamper from her hands. Swinging it around as he did so.

"Be careful, you idiot. You will damage the food," Mai scolded. He could be so thoughtless and clumsy at times, yet so kind and well meaning at the same time.

"No worries, it all goes down the same way," he shrugged.

Mai picked up a blanket and they set off along one of the trails. "Yes but some of us like our food to resemble food!"

Jonouchi ignored her comment and instead strode onto the viewing platform. "I'm surprised Yugi and Anzu didn't wanna come. They are missing out big time. Look at da view?" Jonouchi took in his surroundings and inhaled the clean air deeply. "Last time I came up here was with my parents and Shizuka. I was eight. They was much happier times. Six months later my dad had started to drink heavily, had an affair, so mum chucked him out." He and Shizuka's happy childhood had become a nightmare when his parents had started fighting. He had avoided coming here since his fathers behaviour had torn the family apart.

"Brings back memories huh?" Mai came up and wrapped her arms round his chest from behind, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Yeah... Coming up here with you is good though. I can make new memories and put the old ones that make me sad, to bed."

"No. You should never forget those happy times with your family. Keep them with you and cherish them."

Jonouchi took another deep breath. "Anyway, It hurts less these days, especially since I see my little sister regularly again. Come on, I will show you the spot where my folks set up our picnic. I can still remember it ten years on."

They walked past the picnic tables to a spot on a gentle slope, just above an orchard. "This is it." He stopped and looked around. "Yep! Right under this old cherry tree. I booted my ball all the way down there into the orchard, and my dad had to climb through the barbed wire to get it back. He ripped his pants on the wire." He blinked back a tear, and sniggered at the memory.

"Come here you big softy." Mai grabbed him and pulled him down onto the blanket that she had just spread out. "You know? That's why I love you, you idiot. You always act like the tough guy, ready to fight, but underneath you are all soft and gooey. It makes me want to wallow in you. And god would you just listen to me? I'm talking like a romantic! Shut up Mai."

"Nah. Don't shut up. I love you when you show me _your _romantic side. We must bring the best out of each other eh?"

"And the worst," Mai added. "Don't forget that! We are a bit volatile sometimes." She snaked her hand through his hair and pulled him in for a kiss.

After a few minutes. "Food, need food now!" He mumbled through their kiss.

Mai slapped him on the head. "And there was me thinking you were feeling all loving, while in reality all you were thinking of was your stomach. Again!"

"Well, a man's gotta eat. And I can't do no lovin on an empty stomach," he winked and grinned.

Mai rolled her eyes and opened the hamper to reveal rice balls, chicken drumsticks, coleslaw, apples, bananas and some sticky sweet pastries. There was also a flask of green tea and bottled water. Jonouchi wasted no time in getting stuck in to the food.

:::::::::::

Hearing the door slam and footsteps coming up the stairs, Sugoroku called out from the kitchen, where he was busy preparing the evening meal. "Is that you Yugi?"

"Yes Grandpa," Yugi kicked his shoes off on the mat and joined his grandfather in the kitchen. After their picnic, he and Anzu had spent the rest of the afternoon at her house. Anzu's mother was at work, which meant they had been able to enjoy having the house to themselves for a couple of hours. He was feeling pretty worn out, but was in an extremely good mood.

"You are just in time Yugi, there is a news report on your school."

Yugi sat down at the dining table and looked up a the TV screen hanging on the wall.

It seemed the incident at the school had been taken very seriously.

The police had been called in to view CCTV footage from the back of the building and car park, and the culprit had already been identified as a boy named Eiji Kato who had been expelled several months earlier. They had moved quickly and arrested him.

This meant that school was closed for the remainder of the week, for deep cleaning of the hallway. The stench left by the stink bombs and soot from the smoke damage needed to be removed.

The damage to the locker room would take longer to repair due to quite extensive fire damage. This area would be closed off to enable the school to reopen to the students on Monday.

Yugi made a whistling sound at the news. "I remember that boy, he was in the year above me. His father was in prison for murder. He was bad news," Yugi recalled with a slight snarl in his voice. It had brought back a horrible memory of Kato producing a knife and threatening him with it while he was walking home from school one day. Luckily, Yugi had managed to outrun him and had lost him in the crowd of commuters.

Hearing that boy's name again had put a slight dent in his good mood. "I'm just heading upstairs for a shower Grandpa."

"Okay Yugi. Your mother won't be home until tomorrow afternoon, so it is just you and me for supper. It will be ready in about thirty minutes."

"No probs Grandpa. I won't be that long." Yugi trotted up to the bathroom and stripped off his sweaty clothing- dumping it in the laundry bin.

Before stepping into the shower he looked at his neck in the mirror, gently running his finger over the small reddish purple bruise on his neck where Anzu had sucked at the skin there. He could still smell her scent on his skin, mixed with his own slightly sweaty odour.

Stepping into the shower, he allowed the water to cascade over his body, smiling to himself as he recalled how amazing his afternoon with Anzu had been.

Grabbing the shampoo he rubbed it into his hair until he had worked up a good lather, before rinsing it out. Since his hair was so thick, this always took quite some time.

When he was finished washing, he shut off the shower and stepped out, grabbing his towel.

As he dried himself off, a thought crossed his mind that next time he and Anzu had some time alone together, they should shower together. Despite being exhausted, he still found himself becoming aroused at the thought.

He wrapped the towel around his waist and headed back to his bedroom to dry his hair and get dressed.

In order to maintain his trademark spikes, he always hung his head forward so that he could dry his hair upside down. Once he got it to stand up, he usually found that due to the thickness of his hair it stayed up on its own, with only a small amount of gel.

He pulled on a white t-shirt and a pair of grey sweat pants and trotted back down to the kitchen ready for his supper.

::::::::::::

Since school was out, Friday morning found Yugi minding the shop so that his grandfather could go out on some _important business. _He would not tell Yugi what it was, but Yugi suspected that his grandfather was meeting with a lady friend.

Since Mai was working today, Jonouchi was keeping Yugi company in the shop, until his late shift at the warehouse.

"Do ya know where Gramps is off to with his lady friend,Yuge?" Jonouchi was plotting to follow him.

"Well, as soon as he knew I was home today, he was on the phone last night to arrange today. This morning, he trimmed his beard and spent ages in the bathroom and covered himself in cologne. That's how I know he is meeting a woman. He got dressed up in his best suit too. There is a horse race meeting on in Tokyo today. Which must mean that he planning to take her to lunch in the VIP members club to impress her. He is a lifelong honorary member due to his legendary status as a gambler."

"So how do I get in to this VIP place?" Jonouchi wanted to know.

"You don't. I could get in because I am his grandson and because of my so called fame. You would have to go in the main grandstand. It will be really busy, I doubt you would find him."

"Why don't you go. I can mind the shop while you're gone."

"I can't do that! I'm not spying on Grandpa! Anyway, why are you so interested?"

"I dunno, something to do I guess. And anyway, don't you wanna know who your Grandpa is dating. I mean she might just be using him to get at the Mutou fortune."

"Fortune! What fortune?" Yugi laughed. "You are officially losing it Jou. Plus, I really don't want to imagine Grandpa on a date!"

"Meh. So what's Anzu doing this morning?"

"Anzu will be over later, she is getting some dance practice in, ready for next weekends show. She was a bit upset not to get the lead part, but as I explained. She is not a professional yet. The woman who got the part is a full time dancer. Anzu is still in high school. Even to get the part she has is an amazing achievement."

"Yeah, she will do just great in New York. I know it."

Yugi bit his lip. "Yeah I know," he tried not to sound worried or sad. He was pleased that she would get the chance to live her dream, but part of him still worried about her, alone in foreign place.

"Aw, she will be alright Yuge. Me and Mai plan to visit her during our travels, and I'm sure you will be able to visit her during the holidays."

"Yeah," Yugi smiled weakly. "I'm sure it will all work out." He would not let any harm come to her. He would skype regularly and message her every day. If he had any concerns for her well being, he would drop everything and be on the first flight to New York, no matter what.

* * *

**An old enemy will resurface over the next few chapters. **

**Please Review. **


	13. Chapter 13

I have a whole load of stuff/ideas typed out for this saga. It is shaping up to be a story about daily life, with a few adventures thrown in. I have to admit I have no idea when or how this story shall end just yet! But hope you will continue reading and supporting it. It is great writing practice for me :-)

I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 13. Bad News.

Unusually for a Saturday, Yugi was the first one up. His mother was enjoying a lay in. An accident on the motorway had made for a very stressful drive home so she was rather exhausted.

Yugi had no idea what time his grandfather had come home- he had been asleep. But he guessed it was sometime after midnight.

_This is so unlike Grandpa! _Yugi frowned. His grandfather was always very strict about the shop opening at precisely nine thirty in the morning. It was already ten past nine and from outside Grandpa's room, Yugi could not hear any sound. No snoring. Not even the radio! Which was unusual at this time of day.

Yugi balanced the tray, with one cup and a pot of Grandpa's favourite brand of tea in one hand and banged on the door with the other. "Grandpa! You awake yet?"

No answer!

Yugi banged again; a little harder. "Grandpa!"

There was a muffled sound of mumbling from within. Yugi almost dropped the tray when he heard a woman's voice. "Ooh, what time is it Sugi?"

Yugi almost barfed _Sugi!_ He was about to place the tray outside the door and run back to his own room when the door opened to reveal his grandfather wearing only his dressing gown. Yugi stood with a horrified expression as thoughts that he really did not wish to envisage went through his mind.

Sugoroku chuckled. "Be a good boy and fetch another cup Yugi. And perhaps you could open the shop up for me this morning...I'm running a little late today."

Yugi's jaw flapped as he tried to form words. "O..okay. I will leave it here." He pointed the the floor outside Sugoroku's room.

Sugoroku chuckled. "Is your mother up yet? Naomi is dying to meet you both."

"Er, no...not yet. " _Grandpa has a girlfriend! I'm not sure how I feel about it. Has he forgotten about Grandma?_

"Yugi! Are you alright Yugi?" Sugoroku asked when Yugi stared at him with a furrowed brow.

"I.. I'm fine," he replied briskly, before turning to leave. "I'm meeting Anzu at ten, so I expect you down by then." Sugoroku was concerned by his rather icy tone.

"Yugi?" Sugoroku called, but Yugi ignored him and stomped downstairs to the kitchen, Sugoroku scratched his chin and turned back to Naomi apologetically. "I'm so sorry. He is not usually like that!" His eyebrows knitted together in concern as he placed the tray on the night stand and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You should go and speak with him." Naomi rubbed his back affectionately. "I think he was shocked. From what you tell me, you and he are very close. Maybe you should have warned him that we were seeing each other first, before brining me here."

"Oh my goodness. I didn't think." Sugoroku stretched his stiff back and followed Yugi downstairs. It was _his_ house, it had not really occurred to him that he would need to justify himself.

He found Yugi roughly pulling a cup from the cupboard. "Yugi, my boy. I am sorry if me bringing a friend home shocked you. I should have let you know I was seeing Naomi before I brought her home."

"I'm sorry for my behaviour too Grandpa," Yugi mumbled. "It's just... a shock. Have you forgotten about Grandma?" His voice sounded small and weak, like he was before he solved the puzzle.

"Sit down a moment Yugi."

Sighing childishly, Yugi complied, leaning on the table with his hands clasped under his chin.

"Of course I haven't forgotten your grandmother. I loved her and I always will. But she died eleven years ago, and well, I feel it is time to find a new companion before I am too old. With your father always travelling I made you and your mother my priority, but you are a grown man now; with your own life. You don't want to be burdened with your old grandfather now do you?"

Yugi managed a small smile. "You will never be a burden, and if having a woman in your life makes you happy, then I am selfish for disapproving. I won't say I'm not shocked though. Have you told dad yet?"

Sugoroku scratched his chin. "No. Your mother knows, but has not met Naomi yet. She is happy for me. As for your father, I don't know, I'm worried that he will be upset..." He was thoughtful for a moment. "I know I have a bit of a reputation with the ladies Yugi, but I was always faithful to your grandmother. She was the love of my life and no one will ever replace her." He smiled warmly at Yugi. "I tell you what Yugi, don't worry about the shop. Opening late for just one day, won't hurt. Why don't you borrow my car, take Anzu out somewhere nice. Have you any plans?"

Yugi's eyes went wide. "Are you sure?" Grandpa was very overprotective and never allowed anyone near the drivers seat of his old Toyota, without supervision. Yugi had only recently passed his test and had only driven his mothers car a couple of times since.

"Don't sit there gawking! Hurry up and take the keys before I change my mind."

"Yeah.." Yugi jumped up and grabbed the keys off the hook used to hang them on. "We were going to go to the gym, but I will give her a call and see if she would like to go for a drive down the coast to Shizuoka or somewhere. How about I make you and Naomi some breakfast before I go?"

"Er.. I suggest you leave me to do the breakfast," Sugoroku winked. "I'm not keen on burnt waffles covered in chocolate syrup."

"Hey! I'm not that bad at cooking!" Yugi defended.

::::::::::::

As soon as Yugi pulled up outside Anzu's house, she came running outside happily, carrying her beach bag.

"I'm looking forward to going to the beach. I can't believe that Grandpa let you use his car Yugi!" She beamed as she slid into the passenger seat of the ten year old Toyota.

"I'm a terrible grandson. I think I made him feel so guilty about having a girlfriend that he lent me his car to try to pacify me."

Anzu leant over and kissed him on the cheek. "You are not a terrible grandson. I think I would be mortified if my grandfather started dating. Anyway, it proves he trusts you with his pride and joy, because guilt trip or not he would not have let you use his car if he thought you couldn't drive well enough."

"I guess. And you should be mortified if your grandfather had a girlfriend, because your grandma isn't dead!" They both burst out laughing.

The drive to Shizuoka was uneventful. Yugi drove carefully. Apart from being an inexperienced driver, he was mindful that it was Grandpa's car he was driving and he wanted to get it home without a single scratch to the shiny bronze metallic paintwork, or a scuff mark on any of the tyres.

::::::::::::

Monday morning came around again, all too soon.

Yugi stood in his bedroom, practising his Aikido moves in front of his bedroom mirror, wearing just his pyjama trousers.

After going through the basic warm up routine and daily ritual that many exponents of martial arts tend to do, he paused to admire himself. He liked how the regular workouts were changing his physique. He was not a vain person. In fact, he had always disliked the way he looked, with his over large eyes, childish features and unruly hair; that refused to do anything other than stick up.

Over the last few months he had changed quite a lot, physically. He had grown stronger, taller and broader across the shoulders. He was also losing the babyish features.

As he looked at his reflection in the mirror, it occurred to him that it was almost as if his other self was looking back at him. Okay, so his eyes were still slightly rounder, but when he narrowed them in a death glare, he looked almost exactly like Atem.

"Yugi, are you up yet?" He heard his grandfather shout from downstairs. "Anzu is here."

He looked at the clock on his night stand. Shit! He had lost track of time and was now running late for school.

"Just coming Grandpa!" He ran into the bathroom and brushed his teeth as quickly as he could and then splashed himself with water. He dried off and sprayed himself with the supposedly masculine smelling body spray Anzu had given him; it made him sneeze. As soon as his sneezing fit was over, he ran back to his bedroom and threw on his uniform. He ran downstairs while still buttoning up his shirt.

"Morning Anzu." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Euw, what's that smell?" She sneezed. He had gone a bit heavy on the body spray.

"Oh, that!" He scratched his head. "Its called Out of Africa. You gave it to me, remember?"

"Oh! Did I? Well I think you've overdone it a bit. You smell like a randy lion on the prowl."

"That's the idea, its supposed to bring out the animal in me and cause women to go weak at the knees- according to the legend on the tin!"

"I'm weak at the knees alright- from nausea! And it has certainly turned you into an animal. Look at you! You can't even dress yourself." His shirt was half tucked in on one side, the rest was hanging out. The buttons were done up incorrectly, making one side of the collar stick up. He had forgotten to buckle up the belt on his trousers as well. "Come here? Let me sort you out." She started to undo his shirt buttons.

"See? The body spray does work. You're undressing me," he grinned.

Anzu prodded him in the side, making him suck in a breath of air at the tickling sensation. "Do you want your shirt tucked in or out?"

"Out," he replied.

As soon as Anzu had finished sorting out his clothes, they set off for school. Yugi grabbed a couple of rice balls to eat on the way. His grandfather always insisted that he should not go to school on an empty stomach.

"I think we might be cutting it fine this morning." Anzu checked the time on her phone. "We have probably missed the bus too."

"Yep, the bus went five minutes ago." He stuffed the rest of his rice ball in. "C'mon he mumbled, we better hurry." He started jogging.

"Ugh! How can you run and eat at the same time?" She said trotting along beside him.

By the time they got to school, Yugi was not feeling too good. "I think I need to get a drink of water. That rice ball is stuck around here somewhere." Yugi pointed to the middle of his chest. "I feel sick."

"You didn't take me seriously, did you? I knew you would get indigestion, running and eating." Anzu was starting to sound like his mother.

He went to the vending machine and got a bottle of fizzy water. "This should help shift it."

Yugi took a swig and let out a loud belch, surprising some of the people around him. They were not used to Yugi behaving like this.

"Yugi!" Anzu scolded him.

"Hey man, burp it up!" Honda clamped him on the back almost causing him to spit out his drink. "Think you been spending too much time with Jonouchi. Some of his bad habits are rubbing off on you buddy."

"I hope not!" Anzu growled.

"Talking of Jonouchi. Where is he this morning?" Yugi said, looking around.

"Dunno, thought he would be with you guys," Honda answered.

"Nope, we have not seen him," Anzu confirmed. "He didn't stay over at my house with Mai last night."

The three of them went into the classroom. Ryou Bakura was already sitting at his desk, waiting for lessons to begin.

"Hey Bakura. Seen scruff bag this morning?" Honda gestured towards Jonouchi's empty desk.

"No, sorry Honda. I thought he would be with you guys."

"No, none of us have seen him." Yugi was beginning to worry. "I wonder where he is. He hasn't blown school since that trouble he had with Hirutani and his gang."

But as far a Yugi was aware, Hirutani was in prison following a botched robbery attempt about a year ago.

Yugi and Jonouchi had a history with Hiutani and his gang. During middle school, Jonouchi had actually been friends with Hirutani, and a prominent member of his gang. After landing in serious trouble, Jonouchi had left the gang and moved to Domino High School to make a fresh start.

The first run in had been, when unable to convince him to re-join his gang, Hirutani had kidnapped and tortured Jonouchi. Thankfully, with Yugi's persistence and help from the millennium puzzle. Yugi had rescued him.

The second time they had lured Yugi and Jonouchi to an abandoned warehouse and attacked them with Yo yo's. They almost succeeded in hanging Yugi, before Yugi managed to tap into the puzzle and bring out his other self, who then lured the gang onto a rusted roof. Yami no Yugi had popped holes in the rusty metal, weakening it further and then stood on a beam and watched as the gang fall around twenty feet onto the ground below. Yugi had never Allowed himself to feel bad about the various injuries suffered by the gang. It had been him or them and if it had not been for his other self, they would have killed him.

Meanwhile, Jonouchi had taken out Hirutani in a violent fist fight. Hirutani had ended up in hospital with a broken leg, jaw and some missing teeth, after sliding off the roof when Jonouchi had punched him so hard that he flew through the broken window onto the sloping part of the roof. Jonouchi had finished him off with his trademark Yo yo technique that he liked to call _parading the pooch. _Causing Hirutani to lose his fragile grip on the guttering and fall to the ground below.

The following day, it had been reported in the local news, that the gang had been stripping the warehouse of copper cables and metal piping, to sell illegally for scrap. None of the gang had given the true reason why they were on the roof in the first place. Of course Jonouchi and Yugi had kept quiet about the whole incident. It was not usually in Yugi's nature to be dishonest, but it had been necessary. Yugi did not want a criminal record over something which had been self defence, and Jonouchi had already been on thin ice. One more conviction on his part would have meant a spell in a Juvenile correction facility.

It was an out of breath Jonouchi that came rushing in, just two minutes after the teacher had arrived. He barrelled through the door and stopped dead when he saw everyone looking at him, including Mr. Chono, who was trying to adopt a stern expression. "Damn, I thought I had made it just in the nick of time."

Luckily Mr Chono was one of the more lenient teachers. "Good morning," he checked his watch, "Yes it is still morning, Mr. Jonouchi." The class sniggered. "I am so glad you could join us on this bright sunny day. Care to explain why you are late?"

"No Sir. But I'm sorry for being late." He bowed respectfully, hoping it would be enough.

"Apology accepted. Please don't be late for my class again. Now take your seat, you are holding up the lesson."

"Yes Sir." Jonouchi hurriedly took his seat.

"You okay?" Yugi whispered, while shielding his mouth from view with his hand.

"Nah.. Just come off the phone with an old acquaintance. Hirutani just got outta prison, and apparently he has a score to settle."

He glanced up to see Mr Chono staring at them both, along with half of the class that had heard what he had just said, a little too loudly.

Yugi went pale. He had just been thinking about Hirutani, and now he was back. And by the sounds of it, was after Jonouchi and probably him as well.

Most of the morning went over Yugi's head. And each time he glanced at Anzu, he noticed that she was sitting picking at her eraser.

What was going to happen if Hirutani came after Yugi and Jonouchi? Anzu was terrified by the thought. Hirutani was a piece of work before he went to prison. God only knew what he was like now! And if he was determined to get revenge on Yugi and Jonouchi for landing him and his gang in the hospital, then things could get really bad. Anzu couldn't focus on the class. She chanced a glance at Yugi. Their eyes met and he quickly looked back down and pretended to work. She could tell he was only doodling though.

Anzu picked up her Hello Kitty eraser and nervously picking at its ears. By the end of the lesson it sat in tiny fragments on her desk. _Crap I liked that eraser! _She frowned at the mess she had made.

When the bell went to signify lunch time, they could not get out of the classroom quickly enough.

They found a table to all sit down and eat at, but none of them felt very hungry.

"Crap!" Jonouchi banged his fist on the table. "This is bad."

"What are we going to man?" Honda was the first to speak. "Hirutani is going to go after anyone who is close to you in order to get at you. He knows where you live Jou. And thanks to Yugi's fame he will know about Yugi's family running the game shop."

"Well he don't know about Mai yet. I will need to warn her, because if that bastard finds out..." Jonouchi clenched his fist and snarled.

"Has he actually been let out of prison already Jonouchi? Because I am worried about Grandpa," Yugi asked. "We will have to make sure we don't go anywhere on our own either, and stick to public places." He squeezed Anzu's hand. "I wish I could keep you safe," he frowned. He hoped that if it came down to it, he could find the courage to use his Aikido skills and fight.

"Do you know where he is Jonouchi?" Ryou asked. "It is possible that his parole officer will be watching him closely. He might not have the freedom to attack you."

"Yeah, good thinking Bakura. Lets hope you're right. We might be panicking too early. I mean my old mate didn't know much. Just that he was getting out."

"Maybe we could ring the parole officers and find out?" Anzu suggested.

"I could speak to my old guidance councillor. Only Yuge and Honda know this, but I was that far," he held up his thumb and forefinger and made a tiny gap between them, "from going to Juvy myself. I was on a probation order and had to report to her weekly. If I hadn't of made pals with Yugi, I think I would'a been locked up."

Anzu had guessed as much and was not shocked, but Ryou raised an eyebrow. "I knew you had been in trouble Jonouchi, but I never realised that it was that serious!"

After school, they all went straight to see Mrs. Tanaka, Jonouchi's former guidance councillor.

She smiled and regarded him proudly. He had turned his life around and become a model (well almost) citizen. He was one of her success stories.

"Now let me see..." She sat down and tapped Hirutani's details onto her computer. Five anxious faces peered at her, waiting for some news.

"Ah yes, here we are..He gets out, a week Thursday... Parole, good behaviour bond..." She scanned the report and picked out the main details. "Tagged, curfew...Right. It appears he will be on a supervision order and will have to wear a tag. His movement will be closely monitored and limited. If he breaks this order he will be sent back to finish the rest of his ten year sentence."

"Can you tell us why he was locked up for ten years? I mean stealing copper wire doesn't seem _that _serious." Anzu asked.

"He stabbed a security guard in a robbery Anzu." Jonouchi answered for her.

"What! And they let him out already?" Anzu almost shrieked. "That just doesn't seem right."

"Well, rehabilitation in the community is a big thing these days," Mrs Tanaka informed her. "Prison for such a young man can be the start of a lifetime of crime, so we try to minimize their exposure, to help turn their lives around before they become used to a life of crime and prison."

"That jerk is beyond help," Jonouchi growled.

"No one is _beyond _help Mr. Jonouchi." Mrs Tanaka removed her glasses and looked sternly at him.

"Yes, I am all for rehabilitating offenders Mrs Tanaka, but what about protecting their victims? Surely their victims should take priority over the rights of the offender." Ryou interjectd.

"Yeah, I must agree with Bakura on that," Yugi concurred. "It seems Hirutani's welfare is being put above ours. What if he hurts one of the girls?" He squeezed Anzu's hand gently. "Or targets our families."

"I think you are over reacting a little Mr. Mutou. I don't believe he is a threat to you or your family. He has proved to his therapist that he is ready to turn over a new leaf and is determined to fit into society."

"Well I guess that means were safe then," Jonouch said sarcastically. "Thanks for your help Mrs Tanaka." Jonouchi stood up to leave.

As soon as they got outside Jonouchi kicked the nearest thing he could find; a trash can. "What a pile of bull shit. How can that lying bastard convince those shrinks he ain't a danger?"

"Calm down man, or you will get _yourself_ arrested." Honda pointed to the CCTV camera on the front of the building. "You're on camera. Anyway, we're safe for now, but we will need to watch each others backs closely in the weeks to come," he reasoned. "Me and Jou can handle those thugs, but I'm worried about you guys." His concerns were aimed mainly at Yugi and Bakura, who were not known for their fighting skills. Bakura being a pacifist and Yugi, although tougher and more assertive than he used to be was still didn't like violence.

Jonouchi had more to say on the matter. "Yuge, if we ain't around to protect you guys, you might have to fight. We better make sure we go to Aikido tonight. And afterwards I will show you a few dirty fighting tactics that might save your life if you go up against those thugs. You better come too Bakura. Without your evil spirit to protect you you're defenceless. "

Ryou frowned. "I appreciate your concern, but maybe that lady was right, this Hirutani guy might genuinely be making an effort to turn over a new leaf. Maybe you should arrange to meet him and talk about what happened in the past, so that you can avoid any trouble."

Yugi shook his head. "You have never met Hirutani Bakura. Jonouchi is right, he is bad news, I know I always try to see the good in people, but I am sceptical about claims that he is a reformed character. He is as nasty as the spirit from your ring was."

"Oh..." At the mention of his evil darker half, Ryou felt nausea rising in the pit of his stomach. He didn't think anyone could be _that _bad.

* * *

**That's all for now folks!**

**Hope you enjoyed.**

**Please leave a review.**


	14. Chapter 14

Thank you to everyone who has followed, favoured, reviewed etc... Your support is very much appreciated. Here is the next chapter.

I don't own Yugioh. But all errors are my own.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 14 Threatened.

The remainder of the week was spent preparing for what Hirutani might do upon his release from prison.

Yugi had spent the weekend updating the security in the shop. His grandfather had an aged security camera, which he had seldom used. When Yugi went to see if it was still working, he found the wiring to be completely corroded, rendering it useless.

"I will give Mokuba a call, see if he can fit one of Kaiba corps state of the art security systems," Yugi suggested.

"Yugi! How much will all this cost? I have never needed security before!" Sugoroku suspected that he was hiding something, he seemed on edge.

Yugi had already decided on the excuse he would give. "There's a gang that have been going round intimidating and blackmailing shopkeepers. I think we should be prepared." He did not want his grandfather to know there was a dangerous gang out for revenge against him and Jonouchi. "If you are worried about the cost, I will pay for it. Anyway, I'm sure Mokuba will give us a discount."

"He dialled Mokuba's number." Seto Kaiba had gradually been giving him more responsibility within the business. Mokuba had excellent technical knowledge of computers and security systems. If a system could be hacked he would find a way.

"Hey, Yugi," Mokuba picked up immediately, sounding excited that Yugi was calling him.

"Hi Mokuba. I have a favour to ask?"

"Yeah, fire away Yugi."

Yugi explained that they needed a decent security system installed in the shop. He didn't say why.

"Sure thing Yugi. I will be round in about thirty minutes." He threw the controller of the game he was playing down, and leaped up, glad for an excuse to escape the mansion.

Yugi was surprised that Mokuba didn't have anything better to do on a Saturday. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Yeah no probs. Big brother is busy. I am all on my own for the weekend, with just a small staff. I'm a bit bored." Yugi felt sorry for him. He knew what it was like to be fourteen and stuck on your own, with no friends.

True to his word, Mokuba arrived exactly thirty minutes later in the chauffeur driven limo. He leaped out of the car before Rowland had chance to get out and open the door for him and ran into the game store. Rowland followed him in with another man, who Yugi suspected was the installation engineer.

Mokuba was concerned that the windows in the back of the store room opened out onto an unlit corner of the back yard, which could be easily accessed by climbing over the wall from a quiet pathway that ran alongside the back of the building. He was surprised that no one had broken in before now!

It was decided that an alarm system would be the best option, with a camera that would be positioned so that it covered the serving counter, the door and most of the shops display cabinets. A panic button would be positioned under the counter and the whole system would be linked up to Mokuba's own company, Kaiba Security Systems (KSS)

While the system was being installed, Yugi took Mokuba upstairs to get some refreshments.

"So Yugi, are you going to tell me why you _really _need all this security?" Mokuba had not heard of any local gangs using extortion in this area.

Yugi chuckled. "There's no fooling you is there Mokuba."

"I'm a Kaiba! No one can fool a Kaiba," he smirked.

"Nope, I guess not. Okay, but don't tell my grandfather. I don't want him getting worried, it might upset his pacemaker."

After Yugi had explained his and Jonouchi's history with Hirutani, Mokuba's jaw dropped. My god Yugi! Do you think this Hirutani will try something?"

"Jonouchi thinks he will, and I wouldn't put it past him. We did put him and his gang in hospital."

"But they tried to kill you! They deserved it they had it coming. I mean my big brother dropped his vendetta against you after you punished him..." Mokuba bit on his bottom lip. "I still feel really bad about all that Yugi, things were so screwed up back then."

"Yep, they sure were. But you shouldn't feel bad about it Mokuba, what's done is done. We've all moved on." Yugi shrugged flippantly.

"Yeah... I'm glad we're friends now Yugi. Hey, where's Anzu today? You two still getting on?"

"Dance rehearsal. She has a part in a show," he beamed proudly. "She was disappointed that she didn't get the part she wanted, but she still did well to land a supporting role."

"Man that's cool, let me know when the show is and I will get tickets to come and see it. Talking of tickets. Seto plans to open the new Kaibaland at the start of the summer holidays. You will be receiving a special invite to the grand opening ceremony. That's if you don't mind! You will be paid of course." Mokuba giggled. "He won't admit it, but having the King of Games there is going to be really good for business."

"No, O course I don't mind Mokuba. Being paid to go to a theme park! That's awesome." They both laughed.

"Come on let's go and see how Grandpa likes the new security system." Yugi got up to lead Mokuba back downstairs to the store.

"Yugi, before we go. I just wanted to say, the alarm system is on me."

"What? No way Mokuba, it must cost a fortune. I can't let you pay for it."

"Why not? Its not like I can't afford it. And you have done so much to help me and Seto. It's the least I can do to help. In fact, if the gang threaten you in any way, I am sure I can persuade Seto to get our security team to stop them. It saves getting the police involved."

Involving trained security unnerved Yugi a little. Kaiba's security guards made Hirutani's gang look like a bunch of weaklings. "Well, I will keep that in mind Mokuba, but hopefully we won't need to go to those extremes. C'mon, let's go, you can show us how the alarm works."

Mokuba explained the system and how it linked in to KSS computers. If the panic button was pressed, the system would immediately notify KSS who would ensure that the police attended within five minutes of the alarm being raised. Such was the powerful influence Kaiba Corp held in the city.

Sugoroku was impressed. "I don't know why I never thought of this before. I guess it never occurred to me that we might be robbed." He scratched his head.

After Mokuba had left, he turned to Yugi "Perhaps you would like to tell me the real reason you wanted it installed is it Yugi?"

Yugi stared at him blankly. "Whaa.. I don't know what you mean Grandpa. I can't talk now, gotta go and get Anzu from practice."

Sugoroku stepped in front of him. "There are no extortion rackets around here. You are not going anywhere until you tell me the truth my boy." He sounded angry.

Yugi gulped. "But Grandpa, it's like I said."

Sugoroku shook his head. "You can tell me the truth Yugi, it won't hurt me. I'm more likely to make myself ill by worrying about what it is you are not telling me!"

Sighing, Yugi told his grandfather about Hirutani being released from prison. He didn't go into all the details about why he had a vendetta against him and Jonouchi, just that he had become involved in Jonouchi's past and it was catching up with them.

His grandfather was surprisingly calm about it. He gave Yugi's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Now that I know, I can be on my guard. And don't ever think that you have to keep things hidden from me, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Grandpa." In some way it was a weight off Yugi's shoulders, although he was still worried that his grandfather might try to get involved in any confrontations that may arise. "I just didn't want you involved in all this mess. I am hoping that Jonouchi's friend is exaggerating or that Jonouchi is over reacting. But in any case, a good security system is a must these days. You have thousands of Yen worth of stock and violent crime and burglary is on the increase."

Sugoroku sighed. "I guess so. If you think it will keep me safe... But make sure _you _stay safe okay Yugi?"

"I will," Yugi smiled and nodded. "Thanks Grandpa."

::::::::::::

His life had been getting back on track since the Pharaoh and Yugi had defeated his evil spirit of the ring and sent him to the afterlife, or wherever it was he had gone- Ryou didn't really care _where,_ just as long as he could never come back.

The one thing Ryou did regret however, was having to part with the ring itself. It had been a rather beautiful piece of jewellery, and he had grown oddly attached to it. Ryou ran his fingers over the small raised scars on his chest where the ring had dug its points into his flesh to prevent him from taking it off. Quite literally attached on occasions.

Why couldn't his spirit have been nice, like Yugi's?

Sadly, unlike Yugi's spirit, his had caused him nothing but pain and heartbreak. Whole days of his life were missing. They were days he would never get back, even though he had been left with the burden caused by the aftermath of those days. He had woken up lost and afraid in dark alleyways, with blood on his hands surrounded by dead bodies. Suffered a painful puncture wound to his hand and woken up in hospital with stab wounds on his arm. The list could go on.

He shuddered when he recalled the grizzly memory of coming round feeling disorientated, with Pegasus' golden, blood covered eye in his hand. He didn't care for the man, but Ra only knows how much pain his alter ego had inflicted, as he dug his fingers into Pegasus' eye socket to gouge it out.

To be afflicted by such a vengeful, nasty spirit had been cruel. "Why me?" He muttered at his reflection in the shiny chrome of the kettle as it reached a rolling boil. "I am a good, kind, gentle person who would never harm a soul. I want to help people, not hurt them."

When he thought back, over all the things that his sadistic, insane spirit had made him do it made him want to vomit, as anger bubbled up inside him at the frustration he felt at being too weak and powerless to stop him.

The kettle finished boiling and the auto cut off switch clicked, snapping him out of his anguish. Ryou lifted the kettle and poured some of the boiling water into the teapot, swilling it round to warm the pot. He tipped the water away and added English Breakfast tea to the pot and then filled it with the boiling water.

He looked at the toaster. _Three, two, one._ He pointed his trigger finger at it and the toast popped up. So used was he to this routine, that he knew precisely when the toast would be ready. He set about spreading a thick layer of butter followed by a scraping of marmite. He had been over the moon when he had managed to find this savoury spread, which was popular in England, in a Japanese supermarket.

Satisfied that his tea had brewed, he added milk to a mug and poured himself a nice mug of hot tea. Taking a satisfied sip, he sat down at the small table in the corner of his kitchen and picked up the letter that he had been waiting anxiously for.

If this letter contained the good news he hoped it did, he could make amends for everything that the spirit of the ring had done, by helping heal sick and injured people.

Taking another sip of his tea, followed by a bite of toast, he paused, steadying himself, before picking up the unopened letter from the table.

Using his thumbnail he lifted the corner of the envelope to loosen the seal a bit, he then slipped his finger in the gap and tore the top of the envelope open. Nervously he folded out the letter and scanned it over quickly. Had he been accepted?

A big smile graced his features and his eyes lit up. The answer was yes. His science grades were good enough and he had been accepted into The University College London (UCL) to study medicine. He would be starting in September.

"Yes, yes.." He pumped the air with his fist.

A moment later, he was hit with a small hint of sadness at the thought of telling his friends that he would not be finishing school in Japan with them, and would be the next to leave. They had been the only real, true friends he had ever really had. Even when he had mistreated them, they still forgave him and accepted them into their group.

He wiped away a small tear and finished his breakfast.

:::::::::::::

The air was filled with tension as Yugi and Anzu pulled their chairs up to Jonouchi's desk. Today was the day that Hirutani would be freed from prison.

"Do you know what time he will get out?" Yugi wanted to know.

"Late morning according to my old friend. I got him giving me regular updates on the gangs movements."

"How exactly, does your _old _friend know all this Jonouchi?" Anzu quizzed.

Jonouchi scratched his head. He had hoped they wouldn't ask him. "He erm.. we was both in Hirutani's gang as kids. Me and him were real tight- a bit like me and Yugi are now. Anyway, unlike me, he didn't get out after we got into trouble, and got himself banged up. He's been in and out of prison ever since. It was a coincidence, that he ended up sharing a cell with Hirutani."

"What exactly, did the two of you do?" She pressed.

"And how is he getting all this information to you if he is locked up?" Yugi wanted to know.

"What's with all da questions?" His face became a little pink with embarrassment. "If ya must know, we stole a couple a cars when we was twelve okay! And in answer to your question Yuge, he got out a couple of weeks ago and warned me that Hirutani was planning to get revenge on you and me. My old pal is keeping in contact with Hirutani for _business _purposes."

"I wish I hadn't asked." Anzu banged her forehead against Yugi's shoulder.

"You used to hang about with some_ really_ dodgy people Jonouchi." Yugi shook his head with mild amusement. He didn't know half the things Jonouchi used to get up to and it was probably best if it stayed that way.

"Yeah, I sure did. Just glad I met you guys to put me on the straight and narrow," he grinned.

"Good morning everyone. Did I miss something amusing?" Ryou asked, joining them.

"Only Jonouchi's misspent youth," Anzu replied.

"Is Honda around? I have something I wish to tell you all." He tried to keep his voice light and cheerful.

"He has a dentist appointment so he will be in a bit late this morning," Jonouchi explained.

"Oh okay, well I guess he will have to find out later." He pulled the letter out to show them. "I have been accepted into medical school... in England." He handed the letter to Yugi.

The three friends were silent as they read the letter that Yugi was holding. Anzu cuddled up to his arm to read it, while Jonouchi leant in over his shoulder.

"Good on ya buddy! It's certainly nice to get some good news. We ain't had much of that in the last week," Jonouchi exclaimed.

"I am really pleased for you Ryou. You deserve to have some good fortune. It will be sad to see you leave though." Anzu smiled at him.

"Yeah, I'm sure you will do really well Bakura. We will have to celebrate. It will cheer us all up and help take our minds off Hirutani." Yugi added.

"Oh Yes! Of course, with all my excitement about going to England. I had forgotten about that. Have you heard anything more Jonouchi?"

Before Jonouchi could answer, the teacher, Mr. Ito walked in. The conversation was ended as everyone scurried to their desks to sit down.

Jonouchi was finding it very hard to concentrate on this morning's lesson. His brain was running wild with scenarios of when and how Hirutani might make a move.

Jonouchi was almost certain he would would keep a low profile and avoid doing anything that would get him sent back to prison. He would be forced to wear a tag while under supervision, so his freedom would be limited.

But this didn't mean they were safe. He would use his gang as the messengers. Get them to follow someone and deliver the threats for him. Work out who might be the most vulnerable.

Jonouchi would have his work cut out keeping everyone safe.

He looked at his doodled notes: 99% chance that they would know about Yugi being the King of Games and target the shop. At least Yugi had installed an alarm system and camera, ensuring that the shops security was tight.

Next he wrote: Bakura going to England. When?

He hoped that Bakura would be safely in England by the time Hirutani did anything. One less person to protect. He needed to find out when Bakura was leaving.

The moment the teacher had his back turned and started writing on the board, Jonouchi took his opportunity to find out.

"Psst.. Kura." Ryou didn't hear him, but Yugi did. Yugi turned slightly to regard his friend.

Anzu's desk was the closest to Bakura's. "Tell Anzu to ask," he mouthed at Yugi.

Not quite catching what he was asking, Yugi shook his head slightly, frowning.

Jonouchi clenched his jaw in frustration and mouthed again, but a little louder. "Tell Anzu, to ask Kura when he is going to England?"

"Why now? Can't it wait until lunch?"

"No, it's important. I'm trying to plan how to protect everyone," he mouthed.

"What?" Yugi mouthed back.

Jonouchi rolled his eyes. "I said, No, I'm trying.." Jonouchi paused. It came out loud enough for half the class, including the teacher to hear.

The teacher turned around to see the back of Yugi's head as he was leaning towards Jonouchi's desk, talking to him.

"Jonouchi! Mutou! Would you both like to enlighten the class, as to what is more interesting than my lesson?"

"Erm, no Sir," they both replied together.

"Good. Then perhaps one of you would like to tell me what I was just talking about. Mr. Mutou?" He raised his eyebrows and looked at Yugi expectantly.

"Erm," Yugi mumbled, "some..thing about.." They had been studying earthquakes and volcanic activity.

"Stand, and speak up boy. We can't hear you if you mumble." The students sniggered and Yugi felt his face flush. He glanced at Anzu for support. She made a sympathetic face.

He noticed the diagram of a volcano on the board, which Mr Ito had drawn while he and Jonouchi were talking. It seemed to depict the internal workings of a volcano and had lava erupting from it.

"You were talking about volcanic rocks," he said confidently.

"Be more specific," Mr. Ito said abruptly.

"Er... Hot ones?" The whole class erupted in laughter. Was his answer that funny?

"Sit down Mr. Mutou, you clearly have not been listening." Yugi sat down quickly and slumped in his chair. Anzu looked at him and grimaced. He bit his bottom lip and shrugged his eyebrows in return causing Anzu to almost laugh out loudly. She put her hand over her mouth to stifle it, and it came out as a snort.

"Miss Mazaki!" Mr. Ito barked, he was clearly losing patience with them. "If you find Mr. Mutou's ignorance so funny, then I suggest that you join him for cleaning duty after school."

Jonouchi was just thinking that for once he had been let off the hook, when the teacher added. "I have not forgotten about you Mr. Jonouchi, you will be joining them also."

Jonouchi sighed and dropped his forehead onto his arms. "Oh man! Not again," he mumbled in a self pitying tone.

The rest of the morning dragged as they kept their heads down and got on with their work.

::::::::::::

After school had finished for the day, Honda took Bakura home on the back of his motorbike so that he wouldn't have to risk walking on his own.

Yugi, Anzu and Jonouchi reported to Mr. Ito for cleaning duty.

Yugi and Jonouchi were issued with small plastic scrapers and ordered to go round all the classrooms chipping the chewing gum off the furniture. They were given a small bag to put all the pieces of gum in and ordered to report back in one hour with proof they had carried out their punishment. Anzu was assigned to tidy the teachers office and put all the books back on the shelf in alphabetical order.

"No fair! How come we get the crappy job and Anzu gets the cushy one?" Jonouchi argued, as they were given their tasks.

Anzu had to admit, her job was much nicer. "Because women are better at tidying up than men," she stated.

"That's sexist. I can tidy up as good as any woman can!" He protested.

"Yes, but a pink feather duster doesn't suit you as much." Anzu shoved the duster in his face and tickled him with it.

"Ugh! Get that horrid thing off me!" He shrieked, jumping back and sneezing at the smell of dust and furniture polish.

Yugi laughed and made to pull his friend out of the teachers office. "Come on Jou. You should know we can't argue with a woman." He ducked out of the way when Anzu swung the duster at him playfully. "Let's just get it over with," he gasped, having avoided the flying duster.

When Yugi and Jonouchi returned to the office carrying their bag of dried up gum, Anzu was sitting drinking tea in the teachers office. Mr. Ito was sat behind his now neat, tidy desk, marking online assignments on his laptop.

"Ah.. Mr Mutou, Mr. Jonouchi. I trust you had fun! Let me see the fruits of your endeavour?"

The boys held out their clear plastic bags. Each had collected around twenty pieces of dried gum.

Mr. Ito grimaced at their collections and scrunched his nose up as he took the bags and inspected them before dropping the bags in the rubbish bin. "Euw. It never fails to amaze me just how many revolting habits you kids have."

"Hey, don't tar us all with the same brush. We don't stick our gum under the desks!" Jonouchi argued.

Mr. Ito looked at him sceptically. "Well, no matter. You three are all dismissed. And thank you Miss Mazaki. You did an excellent job with tidying my office."

Yugi threw the teacher a possessive look as he took Anzu's hand and led her outside.

"That's no fair. How come you get a thank you and we get shit all," Jonouchi grumbled.

"Why do you think?" Yugi growled.

"Oh, I get it! Creep was pervin on Anzu while she was working. Why I ought a..." Jonouchi trailed off when he noticed Yugi's angry expression.

Anzu felt quite comforted that Yugi was being so possessive of her. She snuggled up to him as the three of them left the school building.

"It wasn't like that guys. He wasn't there for most of the time. He only came back ten minutes before you did." She assured. " And don't worry, there is no way he would have got away with it."

Yugi's expression softened. "Well that's a relief, but I still don't like the way he looked at you."

"I like you when you're all jealous," she purred teasingly into his neck.

"Hey you two love birds, I ain't letting you walk home alone in case any of Hirutani's goons are lurking about."

"Are you sure Jonouchi? I'm sure it won't be necessary, there are still a lot of people about," Anzu said.

"Yeah, we will be fine Jonouchi," Yugi added.

"I'm going back to Anzu's to meet Mai, so I'm going right by your place anyway Yuge. And this whole load of shit we're in is all my fault, so I feel responsible for everyone."

"Don't be silly Jou, I'm just as responsible for what happened at that warehouse." Yugi couldn't allow him to shoulder all the blame.

"And don't you dare put yourself in danger to protect the rest of us, either," Anzu warned.

The door to the shop was locked and the closed sign was showing when the three arrived back at Yugi's house.

"That's odd! Grandpa doesn't usually close up until seven on Thursday. I'm meant to be minding the shop." Yugi went round to the side entrance to let them in. "Grandpa? I'm home," he called out, bounding up the stairs.

He found his mother was busy in the kitchen making dinner. "Where's Granpda?" Yugi's heart was beating hard as he worried that his Grandpa may have been kidnapped.

His mother looked rather alarmed at his abrupt tone. "Is something wrong Yugi?"

"N. no.. maybe, I.. Did Grandpa go out?" He was having trouble containing his worry.

"Your Grandfather is in his room. He said he had a headache so he is having a lie down. I had to close the shop to make dinner because you weren't home on time."

"Oh! Yeah... sorry about that. We had to stay late at school," he apologised.

Yugi and his friends were just heaving a huge sigh of relief when his mother added. "A friend of yours popped in but because you weren't home he left you this." She handed him a plain manilla envelope with his name scrawled across it. Yugi didn't recognise the writing. All colour drained from his face.

"This friend Mrs Mutou. What did he look like?" Jonouchi asked.

"Well, I thought he was a strange choice of friend, but then Yugi has met all sorts of people through dueling. I guessed he was probably a fan trying to meet you Yugi. He was wearing scruffy clothing, and had tons of ear piercings and one of those metal bars in his eyebrow. He had a nasty scar on his cheek, short cropped black hair with far too much gel in. He was around twenty I would guess."

"Koda.." Jonouchi hissed. He recognised who it was from the description.

"Mum, that was _not_ a friend. If anyone else suspicious comes in and you are worried or they threaten you, push the panic button. Don't let anyone into the house that you don't know okay."

His mother looked at him strangely. "Is there something you are not telling me Yugi? Are you in danger?"

"It's just that there are some obsessed, deranged fans out there. Do you remember that actress who was murdered by a stalker the other week?"

His mother nodded. "You don't have stalkers. Do you?! Is that why you installed all that security?" Now she was worried.

"I do my best to keep all the female ones away," Anzu tried to lighten the conversation.

"Are you going to read the letter Yuge, or bin it?" Jonouchi wondered.

"I'm curious. We should read it." Yugi lead them into the sitting room and taking a deep breath, opened the letter.

_What a shame I missed you! Never mind, there is always another time._

_Watch yourself, because we are watching you._

_Tell Jonouchi that H is looking forward to catching up._

_P.S.. That little chic you walked to school with is hot. I'd keep an eye on her if I was you._

Yugi scrunched the letter in his fist angrily. "Bastard," he hissed.

"They must have been tailing us already. Now they're trying to mess with our heads." Jonouchi growled. The game had already started.

* * *

**Things are going to get a bit dangerous soon.**

**Please review.**


	15. Chapter 15

Here is another chapter. Hope you like it?

Warning: Contains swearing and some mild sexual content. Nothing too graphic though.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 14 In Harms Way.

"Hello you three, I thought I heard your voices." Having just woken up from his nap, a bleary eyed Sugoroku entered the sitting room. He startled slightly when he saw the pensive looks on their faces. "Is something the mater?"

He saw Yugi exchange glances with Anzu and Jonouchi. "Someone came into the shop not long after you went to have a lie down Grandpa. I was late home from school, so mum dealt with them. They were looking for me." He handed Sugoroku the note paper with the message scribbled on it.

"Sugoroku reached for his spectacles and peered at the words written. "Oh dear!" His expression became serious. He looked at Anzu and Jonouchi with extreme worry. "How are you two getting home? I can't let you walk. Not if there is a chance this man will attack you."

"We'll be okay Gramp's, I'm walking home with Anzu, I won't let anything bad happen to her."

"No!" Yugi shook his head. "Grandpa's right. It's too dangerous. We will drive you home."

Jonouchi was defensive. "That ain't necessary Yugi! That punk is no match for me. I can take him down no trouble."

"That might be Katsuya, but what if he is not alone? No, Yugi is right. I will drive you home," Sugoroku ordered.

Yugi's mother entered the sitting room. "Dinner is ready. Are you both staying to eat?" She enquired.

"Are you sure there's enough for all of us Mrs Mutou?" Anzu asked.

"There is plenty. I forgot that Yugi's Grandfather was going out for dinner with Naomi, so I have cooked far too much."

"You are what?!" Yugi was alarmed. "I don't want you taking risks either Grandpa! Not while this threat is hanging over us."

"Oh, I will be fine. Stop worrying Yugi." Sugoroku brushed his concern aside. "I will pick Naomi up on the way to Anzu's house. Drop your friends off, and then drive straight to the restaurant. There will be plenty of other people around. I am not going to let a bunch of thugs stop me from enjoying myself."

Yugi nodded in resignation. His grandfather was right. They couldn't let Hirutani's gang intimidate them into locking themselves indoors, afraid to go out. "Okay, but don't forget to take the panic alarm Mokuba gave you. If anyone tries to grab you, use it. It makes a hell of a noise when you set it off." He had nearly deafened himself when he had tried it out in his room.

"You sure you don't mind taking us home Gramps? Do we have time for some of Mrs M's lovely grub first?" Jonouchi wondered.

"Jonouchi! Don't be so greedy! I thought Mai was cooking a romantic meal for you tonight?"

"You know I can't pass up on an offer of food Anzu!" He argued.

Sugoroku chuckled at their behaviour. "Yes you have time. I need to go and freshen up for my date tonight first."

Jonouchi rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Well, what are we waiting for? Lets tuck in." He ran towards the dining room. Yugi and Anzu both looked at each other and shook their heads and followed him.

"He will never change," Yugi commented.

Sugoroku smirked. "You don't want Mai _punishing _you, because you are too full to eat the food _she _cooks you."

"Yeah, and I will be watching you Jonouchi," Anzu glowered at him.

"Man! Can't you guys just cut me some slack? I will eat Mai's food no sweat."

"Yeah, I bet you will. As long as you make sure to leave room for _desert,_" Yugi sniggered with a naughty expression.

Jonouchi chuckled. "Don't worry, I will save plenty of room for _desert! _If there's one thing I can't resist it's Mai's iced buns!" He and Yugi both burst out laughing.

Anzu rolled her eyes at them, before herself succumbing to laughter. It was good that they could still maintain their humour in the face of the possible danger that awaited them.

After ensuring that Jonouchi had only eaten a very small portion of food, it was time to go.

Yugi was reluctant to let Anzu leave. "I wish you could stay here with me," he said, hugging her close, planting a lingering, protective kiss on her forehead.

"Stop worrying about me, I will be fine. I am no slouch when it comes to protecting myself you know." She punched him playfully on the shoulder. "Anyway, Jonouchi will be there, he won't let any thing bad happen. I will see you for school tomorrow okay? We will pick you up at eight fifteen." She kissed him gently on the lips.

"I still wish you could stay, and not just so I can keep you from danger," he breathed huskily, brushing his lips seductively against hers. She laced her arms around his shoulders as she responded, moving her mouth passionately against his.

Tracing his fingers down her chest, he slipped his hand inside her shirt, letting his hand cup her breast, massaging her through the material of her cotton bra. Fingers working to push the offending material out of the way.

"Not on a school night," she murmured, allowing her own hand to gently massage the back of his neck, causing him to purr softly into their kiss. She didn't really want him to stop, but she had to go home.

Reluctantly, she pulled away, so that their foreheads rested together, and took a breath to regain her composure. "Maybe at the weekend, if you behave yourself."

He brushed his lips over hers once more, "Now you know you don't really want me to behave myself," he purred, pressing her up against the wall and pushing his hips into hers, causing her to shiver slightly at the feel of him. She could feel her resolve slipping away as she started to feel a pleasant desire building in her lower regions.

Jonouchi suddenly peered around the door. "Will you two cut it out with the smoochies? Gramp's is ready and waiting in the car. You will make him late for his date."

Sighing, Yugi pulled away reluctantly, and let her go. "Bye, see you in the morning." He turned to Jonouchi. "Look after her won't you?"

"Yeah, sure will buddy. You know I wouldn't let anything happen to our precious girls Yuge."

Yugi smiled and nodded his thanks. "Yeah, I know."

"Bye Yugi." Anzu gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and followed Jonouchi to the waiting car.

::::::::::::

As far as Jonouchi was concerned, staying the night at Anzu's house served two purposes.

One: He could keep the girls safe.

Two: He got to be with Mai.

Lounging on the bed, he watched Mai as she went through her bed time ritual. She had already showered and cleansed her face of all make up. Now she was applying a special night time face moisturiser. Then came delicate dabs of eye cream, supposedly to prevent fine lines and dark bags under the eyes, and lastly lip balm. She then brushed through her thick blonde hair.

"The stuff you women have to go through, just to look beautiful!" He found it amusing. All he ever did was have a quick shower, dry his hair, brush his teeth and shave. That was it; beauty ritual over.

"Yes, well you won't find it so amusing when you are a wrinkly old man and I am still beautiful. Anyway hon, you wanted to talk to me about this gang that are stalking you and Yugi? I'm all ears. Although you better think again, if you think I am going to let some lowlife bunch of losers intimidate me!" Mai was not very amused at being told what to do. "I don't need anyone watching me."

"Mai! You gotta take this seriously, these guys are dangerous."

"Yeah, well so am I. They will know they have met their match if they try anything with _me."_

Jonouchi groaned. She just didn't get it. "These guys are serious criminals. There's no telling what they might do to you. And I don't want you beaten, raped or worse. I couldn't live with myself if I let you go out alone and they got to you."

"Relax. I won't let them get hold of me, honest. I pack weapons to you know. Now goodnight. I have an early start in the morning."

Sighing, Jonouchi resigned himself to the fact that she wouldn't listen. He would have to find a more discreet way to look after her.

He snuggled down and snaked his arms around her, nibbling at her neck hopefully. She had said he could stay, but there would not be any sex tonight. He was still going to try it on though.

She pushed him away. "I already told you, not tonight. I have an early start tomorrow."

"Man, you're no fun." He turned over and curled up on his side of the bed.

Several minutes later he felt Mai's hand slide over his shoulder and snake its way down his chest and stomach, before sliding into his shorts. He grinned to himself for being so irresistible. He was quite happy to let her think she was the one in charge. But he usually managed to get his own way in the end.

"Thought you wanted to go to sleep," he smirked.

"Yeah, well I changed my mind."

::::::::::::

Friday went by without any more intimidation from Hirutani's gang. Yugi and his friends all stuck together, making sure none of them went anywhere on their own.

Yugi guessed that the gang member had seen the security he had installed, because there had not been any more unwanted visits to the shop.

It was reassuring to think that the Protected by KC Security sign on the shop door, was enough to have any would be robber or thug quaking in his shoes. There would be no way Hirutani or his gang would do anything knowing how quickly and efficiently KCS would react.

::::::::::::

It was Saturday morning. Anzu had ballet practice at ten thirty, so Yugi had arranged to pick her up using Grandpa's car. Grandpa had been worried about him walking anywhere, in case he bumped into any of Hirutani's thugs. Because of this he was now allowed to use the car whenever he needed it..

After spending fifteen minutes exchanging, soppy messages with Anzu, on his phone, Yugi got up.

It was now nine o'clock.

He had a quick shave, brushed his teeth and splashed some water on his face to freshen up, before selecting some clothes for the gym.

He decided to put on a black Asics sports vest with a pair of white and black shorts. He pulled a pair of dark blue and red trimmed track pants on over the top of his shorts, and then put on a matching hoodie. He stuffed some clean boxers, socks and a T-shirt, along with a towel and his swimming trunks into his sports bag and then went downstairs to have some breakfast.

His mother was just getting ready to go and meet up with some friends. "Good morning Yugi. I didn't know if you wanted to be woken up early, so we had breakfast without you. Are you okay to help yourself? I put some leftover rice balls in the fridge."

"Yes I'm fine mum. You go and enjoy yourself. Make sure you carry that panic alarm I gave you okay? And don't go anywhere without someone with you. I'm meeting my friends at the gym so I probably won't be back till mid afternoon."

"Okay Yugi. And stop worrying, I have the alarm thing with me." She held up the small key chain sized alarm for him to see. "I want you to promise me that you will be careful too?"

"I promise mum." He leant forward and gave his mother a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. He was worried about her going out, but he couldn't stop her from having a social life. He just hoped she would heed his warnings.

As soon as his mother had gone, he went into the kitchen to make himself some tea. He finished up the rice balls and then made some more tea to take down to the shop for his grandfather.

He found his grandfather behind the counter, busy serving a woman with two children. As soon as the two young boys saw him their eyes lit up and they came rushing over to meet their hero.

Sugoroku was well used to young people coming in hoping to meet Yugi. He kept signed photographs under the counter. They were free with any purchase over 1500 Yen, 500 Yen if no purchase was made; it had proved very lucrative. Yugi had argued to begin with, that it was unscrupulous to take advantage of people like this. Sugoroku had justified it as good business sense and when Yugi had received his share of the profits, he stopped arguing.

He smiled and laughed with them as he wrote a little message on the back of the photographs they had been given with their purchase.

Now that he had more self belief, Yugi found it easy chatting to his fans. Most of them were young kids who wanted to be just like him when they grew up. _If only they knew what he had gone through to get to where he was!_

With his smooth silky, now fully broken voice, charming personality and easy going nature, he often found the mothers of his young fans flirting with him. When Anzu was with him, she acted as deterrent, but when she wasn't, he sometimes got a little nervous. It was rather scary when older women came on to him!

On this occasion, he was saved by his grandfather, who stepped in and started buttering up the lady with compliments. Yugi almost laughed loudly at the way his grandfather was able to flirt and say rather naughty things without getting slapped. He guessed it was because they saw him as a harmless old man.

::::::::::::

Mai had found herself a job selling perfume and toiletries at an exclusive store. It was the type of place that Anzu assumed people like Seto Kaiba shopped. Anzu certainly couldn't afford the prices they charged! Although she hoped that one day, when she was a famous dancer she would be able to.

Since Mai was paying rent for the room, Anzu's parents didn't mind her having Jonouchi to stay with her as well. They knew all about his situation with his drunken, often violent father, and since Jonouchi had offered to mend the door on the shed and repair the fencing, along with some of the other D.I.Y chores, they didn't mind him being there. Even if he did eat rather a lot!

_God, where on earth does he put all that food_?

"Whacha.. thinking about Anzu?" Jonouchi's voice broke through her thoughts and she suddenly realized that she was staring at him eating.

"Huh! Oh, sorry Jonouchi. I was just wondering how you can eat so much and not get fat. I mean, aren't you still full from having two meals last night?" She wondered.

"Meh, I worked it all off with Mai last night." He grinned, ignoring Anzu's disgusted look. "Besides, a growing man needs his food. It takes a lot to fuel these babies." He lunged across the table and more or less shoved his arm in her face, flexing his bicep for her to squeeze.

"I... will take your word for it." She poked his arm with her index finger and pulled a face.

Mai entered the kitchen/dining room, made up and ready for work. "Sit down will you, you big oaf! You'll send everything flying off the table."

"Hey! I was just explaining to Anzu why I need to eat so much."

"Yes, well I'm sure she doesn't need you to shove your arm in her face over breakfast."

Anzu laughed. "It's okay Mai, Jonouchi was just trying to show me his muscles. Something about food providing enough fuel for them!"

Much to Jonouchi's chagrin, the two women burst out laughing at him.

::::::::::::

Ballet practice and gym workouts done, they all headed to the swimming pool. It was now midday.

They were shocked to find Mai waiting for them in reception.

"Mai! What you doing here? You're supposed to be working!" Jonouchi shrieked.

"It's nice to see you too!" She replied sarcastically.

"You didn't walk here on your own, did you?!" After all the warnings he had tried to give her, the stubborn moo still hadn't listened.

"How else do you think I got here? You moron. It only takes five minutes to walk from the mall. I thought you would be pleased I could join you, so I took an early lunch."

"Of course I'm pleased to see you, but what if something had happened to you on the way here?" He argued.

"If you think I am going to cower in fear, then think again. This girl won't let a few threats from some lowlife scum bag stop her doing what she likes. Now lets hurry up and get in the pool before I run out of lunch hour." She pushed past an open mouthed Jonouchi, and headed towards the ladies changing room.

"That stubborn, bull headed woman! How da hell can I keep her safe?!" Jonouchi was so infuriated, his voice was almost a high pitched shriek.

"I will talk to her, see if I can drum some sense into her." Anzu followed Mai into the changing rooms.

"You know what Mai is like Jou, she hates anyone telling her what to do. Maybe she will listen to Anzu," Yugi said, trying to calm his friend.

"Yeah, calm down man, if anyone can convince her, Anzu can." Honda tried to reassure him, slapping him on the back.

"Yeah, I sure hope so Yuge. I would never forgive myself if that asshole got hold of Mai."

The two girls started to change into their swimming costumes. "You know Mai, you really should allow Jonouchi to look after you," Anzu suggested tentatively.

"I don't need looking after," Mai was still adamant. "It makes me feel claustrophobic."

"He is not trying to control you Mai. He just wants to protect you from a dangerous thug. From what I have seen of this gang, they are really bad. They tortured Jonouchi and would have killed him if Yugi hadn't got there in time. They tried to hurt Yugi as well, but Atem protected him."

Mai sighed. "Okay, if it makes you happy, I will try to be more careful."

"Promise me you won't walk anywhere quiet on your own?" Anzu said, in her bossiest voice.

"Yeah..promise." Mai had a hint of resignation in her voice, Anzu could be quite pushy when she wanted.

Surprisingly Mai and Anzu were in the water before the boys.

"What's keeping those three?" Anzu wondered out loud.

"Who knows, maybe they are struggling to fit their egos in their swimming trunks."

Mai's comment had Anzu in fits of laughter. "You crack me up sometimes with the things you come out with Mai!" She managed to say between giggles.

The boys were actually taking their time due to a discussion. Jonouchi wanted Yugi's input on something he was considering. He was thinking of moving out of his fathers dump of an apartment and moving in with Mai on a more permanent basis.

"So what d'ya think Yuge? I have stayed there a few times lately and Anzu's parents don't seem to mind me being there. Plus it makes it easier for me to look out for the girls. Once all this shit with Hirutani is over, I wanna make it permanent."

"I don't know Jou...living together is a big step to take. You are still young and you really should ask Anzu's parents permission first, it is their house." Yugi advised.

"And then there is Mai," Honda chipped in. "How does she feel about it? I get the impression you haven't mentioned it to her yet. Am I right?"

"Yeah, I kinda don't know how to ask her...Mai likes her freedom and I don't want her to feel trapped. I would need to tread slowly or she might freak out. That's why I wanted to ask you guys, see if you got any good ideas." He said thoughtfully.

"Don't ask me, I suck at getting chicks to even go out with me," Honda groaned.

"Why don't you talk to Anzu," Yugi suggested. "She might know how to talk to Mai without making her run away again."

"Yeah...good idea Yuge," Jonouchi chuckled, "Mai sure is a complicated woman to be with, but that's why I love her."

Yugi smiled at his friend. "I hope it all works out for you. Come on we should hurry up and change, the girls will wonder where we've got to."

At last, the boys appeared from the male changing area. The pool was quite crowded, so they stood at the edge of the pool looking to see where the girls were.

Anzu noticed a small group of young women nudge each other and look in their direction. It made Anzu swell with pride when she heard them muttering about the hot guys that had just appeared.

"Hey isn't that Yugi Mutou and Katsuya Jonouchi?" One of them said.

"Oooh... and who is the tall one with them? He's gorgeous." Said another.

"Yeah...They got bodies to die for. I wouldn't mind running my hands down..."

The girl was cut off from continuing when Mai whistled loudly and shrieked out. "Over here boys!"

The girls stopped their chattering and looked at Mai and Anzu.

Yugi tapped Jonouchi on the shoulder and pointed. "There they are." He had actually noticed them a split second before Mai shouted.

When he pointed the group of girls all imagined that he was pointing towards them, and started giggling and swooning.

"Hey Yugi," Anzu waved at Yugi. He waved back and then jumped into the water and started swimming over. Just as he surfaced in front of Anzu, she shot the girls a smirk, as if to say 'He is mine, so hands off.' Yugi took Anzu's hands in his and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

Disappointed, the girl Anzu had smirked at 'hmphd' at her. The rest of the girls groaned and they all swam off.

"What was all that about?" Yugi asked innocently.

"That was your little group of admirers," Mai answered. "They were eyeing you boys up!"

"Meh heh, girls just can't resist our gorgeous bods, eh guys?" Jonouchi smirked. Yugi's face flushed with embarrassment at the thought of being eyed up by lustful young women, while Honda swam off after the girls to see if he could strike it lucky.

::::::::::::

Once they had all dried off and got dressed, they walked with Mai back to where she worked and bade her goodbye, before making their way to a nearby noodle bar. They had eaten there before and the food they served was quite good.

They found a table and sat down. All four of them decided to have the house speciality: beef noodle bowl, along with four bottles of soda.

Jonouchi went up to the counter to place the order, while Yugi decided that he needed to use the gents.

The noodle bar was one of several bars and various food outlets and shops in a complex with a large car park underneath. Yugi went to the nearest toilets, at the back of the mall, about 400 metres from the bar they were in. He felt safe on his own because the mall was fairly busy.

He didn't notice Hirutani and a couple of his gang sitting on a nearby bench, smoking and generally looking undesirable. Most people gave them a wide berth.

Although they looked undesirable, they had not been doing any shop lifting or anything else that would warrant them being arrested or evicted from the mall.

It had been over two years since Yugi had seen Hirutani. The last time, had been his encounter with them when they had set up a trap for Jonouchi and him. They had lured them to a warehouse and attacked them with Yo Yo's. Thankfully, Yugi had been able to call on the puzzle for help and the Pharaoh had saved them. The gang of thugs hadn't fared so well. After letting them chase him onto the old rusty roof, his other self had made holes in the roof with his Yo Yo, and then goaded them into rushing at him. He had stood on a beam and watched them fall right through the roof.

Jonouchi meanwhile had had a pretty violent fight with Hirutani, which resulted in Hirutani falling from the roof and breaking both his legs.

Yugi and Jonouchi had not stuck around to see how badly injured any of them were, but they had seen in the local paper the following day, that a gang had all ended up with serious injuries after falling from an abandoned warehouse roof where they had been trying to steal copper cabling to sell for its scrap value.

It seemed, none of them were willing to confess that two high school kids had outsmarted a bunch of hard nosed thugs.

"Hey boss. Looks like we might get a chance sooner than we thought. Ain't that star head?" A thug with pot marked skin and tattooed knuckles pointed to where Yugi was walking, with his back to them.

Hirutani spat. "Yeah. It fucking well is. How lucky is that eh? I wasn't expecting to get anywhere near any of them for some time."

"Little runt's grown a bit since I last saw him," another lackey pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's him alright. Yugi Mutou. His face has been all over the fucking papers and on TV. He's a champion at that stupid card game." Hirutani pushed himself to stand. He was a thick set man. He had lost two teeth in his fight with Jonouchi and now sported two gold crowns, making him look fearsome.

"Time for me to dish out some pay back for these fucking pins I got in my legs."

When Yugi reached the toilets he found that they were closed for cleaning. A sign said to use the ones in the entrance to the car park. Without thinking, he walked off in the direction the sign was pointing.

Hirutani and his two accomplices followed.

* * *

**After giving warnings to everyone else, Yugi has put himself in danger!**

**Please review. **


	16. Chapter 16

The chapter in which Yugi goes up against Hirutani. Will he prevail?

Some strong language and violence.

I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 16 Attacked.

It was further to the toilets than Yugi anticipated. The signs said to either use the ones in the entrance to the car park, or the ones at the back of the cafe, on the second floor of a department store. Thinking they would be closer, Yugi opted for the ones near the car park.

His route took him all the way to the back of the mall, through a set of fire doors into one of the lesser used corridors leading to an overflow car park. It was quite a long walk to from the main part of the mall, hence it was not as busy.

For a moment Yugi considered that he might be putting himself at risk, but immediately dismissed it, thinking there was no way Hirutani and his gang would be around here.

How wrong he was!

Hirutani and his two gang members followed him, carefully ensuring that they were not spotted.

"I can't believe the little runt is making it this so easy for us," the bespectacled gang member said in a nasaly voice.

"Shh, you moron. Keep your voice down or he will hear you."

They peered through the fire escape doors and watched as Yugi went into the gents.

"You two, wait outside. Stop anyone coming in. I will deal with the Mutou kid on my own. It shouldn't be too difficult," Hirutani sneered, cracking his knuckles.

When Yugi entered the gents, there was one other man standing at the urinals. Yugi walked over to one of the urinals and started to pee. He heard the door open and close, but didn't turn to look as it was not the done thing to look at other men in the gents.

The other guy next to him finished up and went to wash his hands, but was stopped when Hirutani's gruff voice ordered. "Piss off out a here now, asshole." The man did as he was ordered and hurriedly left.

Yugi's blood suddenly ran cold and almost froze in his veins at the sound of the voice he vaguely recognised as Hirutani, nearly causing him to piss on his shoes. Trying to remain calm he finished going as fast as he could and tucked himself back into his pants.

Nervously he spun round, to see the brutish figure of Hirutani leaning on the door frame of the toilet cubicle, snarling at him.

"Don't look so pleased to see me, starhead!" He growled.

Yugi gulped and tried not to stutter. "Hirutani!" He managed to growl out a little nervously. His instincts told him to cower in fear. Instead he did his best to mimic how Atem would have dealt with this situation, forcing himself to stand tall and look confident. He wasn't sure if it worked or not.

"Hmph!" Hirutani spat a ball of phlegm on the floor at Yugi's feet. "You're not gonna whine like a baby? Call for that moron Jonouchi to come and help you then? Nah, I thought not, coz I know for a fact you're all alone.. starhead."

"If you are going to attack me Hirutani, I suggest you just get it over with. Or are you afraid that if you hurt me you will go back to prison?" _What am I doing taunting him. I'm trying to be like my other self! But I'm not him am I._

"I plan to kill you. It will be worth it if I get away with it. There's no one around to hear you scream. No one will see me, so I just might be lucky." He pushed himself away from the door frame and stood menacingly in front of Yugi.

Yugi eyed the door nervously, trying to work out if he could make a run for it.

"Don't think about trying to escape. Two of my boys are guarding the door." He pulled a flick knife from his pocket and released the three inch blade.

Yugi looked at the blade, noticing how it glinted at him, reflecting the glare from the bright lighting menacingly. A feeling of terror pounded in his chest. It was so intense that he felt as if his heart was trying to claw its way into his throat.

His mind was racing as he considered his options; give up or fight. He knew he had to fight back, but how? He was too scared to think properly.

"How about we start by messing up that pretty face of yours a bit?" Hirutani made a move to attack him. Lunging forward, he lashed out with the razor sharp blade, confident that he would put a gash deep enough to leave a permanent scar on Yugi's face.

Drawing on the martial arts skills he had been learning, Yugi found himself reacting instinctively, with fluid grace.

As the knife blade flashed towards his face, Yugi moved faster than he thought possible, turning his body slightly as he parried the blow away with his arm.

Hirutani's moves were slow and rather clumsy in comparison and he was caught off guard by Yugi's defensive, disarming movement.

Through his martial arts training, Yugi had learnt exactly where to aim his defensive blow, striking Hirutani in a pressure point, effectively giving him a momentarily dead arm and making him release his grip on the knife. The knife went clattering across the floor.

This infuriated Hirutani. _How could this little wimp stop my attack? _Growling angrily, he rubbed his numb, tingling arm and let fly a string of expletives aimed at Yugi.

Yugi grimaced at some of the vile words used against him, but heard he had heard most of them before and knew that at least words wouldn't kill him. Right now, he was starting to feel confident that he might get out of this unharmed. Hirutani was clearly rattled.

Glancing at the door, he made another attempt to run for it but Hirutani made a lunge at him. Grabbing his sweatshirt by the shoulder and spinning him round with one hand, he swung a punch with his other arm. Luckily the punch was sloppy and uncoordinated, thanks to his arm still being a bit tingly and weak from the dead arm blow from a moment ago, and it caught the top of Yugi's head. Luckily his wild, thick hair came in handy, absorbing much of the force.

Yugi dropped his body to the floor and then came up underneath a now off balance Hirutani. Leading with his elbow, he caught Hirutani in the solar plexus, winding him.

The weight Hirutani had put behind his punch continued to carry him forward. And since he was now winded and off balance this gave Yugi a chance.

Yugi braced himself as Hirutani's body weight went over him and used his shoulder and upper back in another martial arts move to throw him up in the air and over causing Hirutani to crash to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

A sickening crack was heard as Hirutani's head connected with the side of one of the urinals as he landed.

Still shaking with adrenalin and disbelief of what he had just managed to do, Yugi straightened himself up and looked over to where Hirutani was rolling around on the urine stained floor, groaning and clutching his now bleeding head.

Back in the restaurant the food had already been served. Unable to wait for Yugi to return, Jonouchi was already halfway through his beef bowl.

Remembering their table manners, Anzu and Honda sat staring at their steaming hot beef bowls, willing themselves to wait for him before they began eating.

"What's keeping him so long, the toilets are not that far away!" Anzu was starting to worry.

"How long has he been gone?" Jonouchi mumbled with his mouth full of beefy noodles, causing Anzu to feel slightly repulsed.

She peered at her phone. "Almost fifteen minutes. It doesn't take that long to go to the loo!"

"It does me if I need a dump! Maybe that's what he's doing," Honda reasoned.

"Urgh, Honda! Don't be so gross!" Anzu slapped his shoulder.

"Yeah, don't say stuff like that when I'm eating!" Jonouchi spluttered, showering them with his half chewed food.

"What did you just spray?" Honda laughed.

"I'm being serious guys, what if something bad has happened!" she was fearing the worst. "And Jonouchi, ugh... Learn some manners." She wiped her arm clean on the serviette.

"Well how long does it take him usually?" Honda asked her.

"How should I know!" Anzu's face went pink. "I tend not to time that sort of thing."

Concerned by the stress and worry in Anzu's voice, Jonouchi stopped eating. "Okay, I will go check on him. You two stay here." Jonouchi got up and headed towards the nearest gents toilets. For some reason he too was starting to feel a little anxious for his friend.

"Damn," he cursed upon finding the nearest toilets closed. Maybe that was the reason Yugi was taking so long. He set off round the corner and towards the toilets near the car park, hoping they were the ones that Yugi had chosen to use.

Still on his guard, Yugi stared down at the injured Hirutani, unsure if he should stay and help the man, who was now sitting up looking dazed and mumbling out expletives as he clutched his wounded head.

"Are you okay?" He asked tentatively. "Shall I call an ambulance."

"Fuck off brat," Hirutani spat viciously, looking up and glaring at him through the blood that was running into his eyes.

Shrugging, Yugi did just that. He turned and left before Hirutani recovered enough to mount another attack.

Having completely forgotten about the two thugs guarding the toilets, he pulled open the door and stepped out into the corridor coming face to face with the two rather surprised looking men.

"What the fuck! Where's Hirutani?" The tall, skinny, long haired one gasped.

Gulping, Yugi tried to get past them quickly.

"Where do you think you are going starhead?" The ugly, spotty, bespectacled one snarled, blocking his way.

Yugi recognised him as the one who had punched him in the face, at the tube station a few years ago, when Yugi had foolishly challenged them after Jonouchi had been coerced into re-joining the gang.

"I think your boss needs the hospital. He told me to fuck off when I offered to get him an ambulance." Yugi was still feeling pretty pumped full of adrenalin after what had just happened, and couldn't stop himself reacting boldly as a strange feeling of invincibility coursed through him.

Snarling, they both made a move to grab him, when they heard Jonouchi's voice echo along the corridor, as he came barrelling through the fire doors and started running towards them.

"Oi.. leave my buddy alone you ugly fuckers." Jonouchi made straight for the one with glasses. He had been the one who had revelled the most in torturing him when they had kidnapped him, so he was due for some payback.

Jonouchi grabbed him and pulled him away from Yugi with such force that he was lifted off his feet and then thrown against the wall. He tried to push himself off the wall to retaliate but Jonouchi was too fast, landing him with a left uppercut to the jaw and hard right to the stomach. His glasses fell off when his head bounced back into the wall, knocking him out cold. With a cold, deadly expression Jonouchi placed his foot on his glasses and crunched them under his shoe.

Spinning around quickly so that he could protect Yugi from the other thug, he gasped in amazement. Yugi was standing in his Aikido fighting stance, glaring down at the thug lying on the ground clutching a broken arm.

Jonouchi's surprise only lasted a second before he whooped in delight at the sight of his friend successfully protecting himself in a fight. "Way to go my little spiky haired ninja." He clamped Yugi on the back, grinning stupidly. "You did it man, you fought back."

"Jonouchi!" Yugi sheepishly pushed him off. "What's so good about breaking someone's arm?!" Surely he hadn't used that much force? When the man grabbed his collar with one hand and pulled his other arm back ready to punch him, he had grabbed the man's wrist and squeezed the pressure point, causing him to release his grip. In those split seconds he dropped body weight to the floor to avoid the punch and then stood quickly, stepping forward as he twisted the arm, while pushing the man away from him. The crack he heard and felt as he did so, made him feel slightly sick.

"You had to Yuge! If you hadn't bust his arm, he would a messed you up bad. C'mon, lets go re-join the others, Anzu is worried about you."

Before they left Jonouchi turned to the man with the broken arm. "Give your boss monkey a message. Tell him if he fucks with me and Yugi, or any of our friends again, he's finished. Comprende?"

"Why don't you tell him yourself," the man spat, staggering to his feet. Still clutching his arm, he nodded his head towards the door to the gents.

The two friends turned and Jonouchi's expression was priceless as he stared open mouthed at Hirutani, standing in a slouched, rather wobbly fashion in the half open doorway, looking concussed, with blood all down his face and shirt. Even though he was clearly dazed, he was still glaring at them dangerously.

"Wow.. Did you do this to him Yugi?" Jonouchi was absolutely amazed.

"Er.. yeah." Yugi sounded really embarrassed about it.

"Woo hoo.. Look at the big boss monkey. Ain't so tough now are you mother fucker?" Jonouchi's tone was mocking, celebratory. But within a second his demeanour turned from one of humour to deadly serious. "Maybe now you'll leave me and Yugi alone. Drop this stupid vendetta, before _I _decide to finish it," he said dangerously.

Snarling in response, Hirutani spat out the blood that had run into his mouth and glared back. "It ain't over you fucking moron."

Jonouchi clenched his fists. He was really tempted to finish this nasty piece of work right now. It would be easy to kill him and end his threat.

Yugi was worried when he saw the venom burning in his friend's eyes. This was the old Jonouchi, the one that used to get into all sorts of trouble. Yugi couldn't let him kill this man, no matter how much he threatened them. There was no way he would ever let Jonouchi end up on a murder charge.

"Jonouchi?" His friend made no response so he tried again. "Jonouchi please? He's not worth it." Pleading with his friend Yugi grabbed his arms and pulled him to face him. He was alarmed at the amount of hatred and anger on Jonouchi's face. "Jonouchi, stop it your scaring me!" Jonouchi blinked then, and his expression fell as his face relaxed.

"You're.. you're right Yuge. He ain't worth it. Let's go." He clamped Yugi on the back, turned and walked briskly away. A relived Yugi followed him leaving the three injured thugs in the corridor.

Once they were back in the safety of the mall, Jonouchi's body sagged. He needed to sit down and compose himself before going back to the noodle bar. He had wanted to kill and it suddenly frightened him.

"Sit down here Jonouchi." Yugi guided him to a nearby bench. "Are you okay?" His voice held a note of concern.

Jonouchi grasped Yugi's arm and looked at him, smiling gratefully. "Thanks Yuge, you were a real hero back there you know. I'm proud a ya man. Atem would a been proud a ya too." His voice was shaking slightly.

Yugi looked away and bit his lip, fighting back tears of relief and emotion as the extent of what had just happened started to dawn on him. "It.. it was.. I.. I had to. If I hadn't fought..." he trailed off.

_Then I would probably be half dead_, _cut to ribbons and beaten to a bloody pulp by now._ Tears that had started to well up in his eyes trickled down his cheeks as the reality of the situation started to sink in. _And Jonouchi? Would he really have killed Hirutani if I had not stopped him?_" He was afraid of the answer.

"Hey Yugi! Don't cry man. Heroes don't cry!" Jonouchi wasn't sure what to do.

"No, you're right. Heroes shouldn't cry. That's what Atem told me after the ceremonial duel. Everything just came tumbling down on me and I had to release it." He sniffed and wiped away his tears. "I was so scared. Scared by my own capacity to actually hurt someone. And then, when I thought you were going to kill him. I was scared for _you_."

"I'm sorry man, sorry if I scared ya like that. I dunno what came over me, I just saw red. It frightens me to think I could have killed with my bare hands. I know that guy's a jerk, but even so..." He took a deep breath, held it for a second while he stared at his own hands, the hands that he might have killed with. He noted how his hands had started trembling. He let his breath out slowly and closed his eyes to calm himself. "Thank you for stopping me Yuge."

"It's okay Jonouchi. I think I'm feeling better now." He had forced himself to stop crying.

"If you got yourself together Yuge, shall we go finish our lunch?"

"Yeah, okay," Yugi nodded. "Although I expect it's gone cold by now."

"Here Yugi, wipe your face on this." Jonouchi handed him a clean tissue from his pocket. "You don't want Anzu to see you've been crying."

"Oh! Thanks." Yugi wiped his face and blew his nose. "How on earth do we tell them about what just happened?"

Honda was rapidly losing patience. "This is getting ridiculous, I gotta go find them." He stood up, but Anzu grabbed his arm.

"No Honda, Jonouchi told us to stay here. We should wait a bit longer."

"Yeah, but they could be in trouble. I can help fight if they are."

"We are over reacting. What could possibly happen in a busy mall? They have security cameras and guards. Surely nothing _could_ happen."

Honda nodded. "Maybe we should give them another five minutes. If they're not back by then, I'm going to alert mall security and try and find them."

At that moment the door to the noodle bar opened causing them to both look in that direction.

"Jonouchi! Thank god. Where's Yugi?" The bright light from outside was casting a strange halo around Jonouchi, so she couldn't see him behind Jonouchi's much larger frame.

"He's here." Jonouchi walked into the room and Yugi stepped out from behind him.

Anzu leaped up and ran straight for him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his neck. "Thank god Yugi, we thought you had been kidnapped or something. You were gone so long," she cried, earning strange looks from the other diners.

Guilt ridden for causing such worry, Yugi rubbed her back gently. "It's okay Anzu, I ran into a little trouble, but I managed to deal with it. Where's my lunch, I'm starving." He was trying to brush it off as lightly as possible.

She pulled away from him slightly and released her grip on him. "Trouble! What trouble?"

"It's nothing. Lets sit down, people are staring." Taking her hand, he pulled her back to their table.

Sitting down, he poked his fork into his noodles. "Mmmm.. cold noodles. Nice!" He smirked sarcastically, trying to act as if nothing much had happened. He hated the idea of bragging that he had been in a real punch up and left his opponents badly hurt. Anzu was not easily fooled by his overacting.

"Yugi! Spill. What trouble?" She repeated sternly.

If Yugi wasn't going to tell them, Jonouchi would. He couldn't wait to tell them how Yugi had single handedly kicked Hirutani's butt in a fight, and then busted another gang members arm. "Yugi ran into Hirutani and a couple of his goons. He gave them a good ass kicking," he stated proudly.

Both Anzu and Honda's eyes went wide. "What happened? Anzu's voice was shaking nervously.

"That's awesome man. I knew one day we would make a fighter out of you. What happened?" Honda rejoiced.

Yugi didn't appear to share Jonouchi and Honda's excitement over the matter. He sighed and explained what he had just been involved in. "I'm not proud of myself for using such violence," he finished quietly.

"Oh Yugi! You did what you had to do to survive." Anzu took hold of his hand reassuringly.

He smiled at her, grateful for her loving concern for his well being. "I guess. It still doesn't mean I have to like it though."

Honda leant forward and clasped his shoulder. "None of us enjoy violence Yugi. Not even knuckle head here if he is honest," he rolled his eyes towards Jonouchi. "It's something you just learn, to keep yourself from getting hurt."

"I used to enjoy it!" Jonouchi admitted. When the other three gave him stern looks, he added "But not any more."

"The thing is guys," Honda began. "Hirutani will be afraid of you now. Either that means he will drop this stupid revenge thing and leave us alone, or he will be so angry.."

Jonouchi interrupted. "He might increase his forces and become even more dangerous. He ain't gonna like it that my man Yugi kicked his butt."

"I've made things worse haven't I?" Sighing, Yugi shrugged. As bad as he felt about using violence, he would not have done anything differently. Jonouchi was right when he said it is kill or be killed. But it still didn't mean he had to like it.

**There, I hope you liked it? Please review and let me know what you think.**


	17. Chapter 17

Ugh, I have been suffering from blockage with this chapter. I had it roughly drafted out, but when I looked at what I had written I decided it was awful! Several rewrites later and I'm still not happy. It just seems so boring after the last couple of chapters. Maybe you will see it differently.

As usual it contains some bad language and adult themes. Also some reference to illegal drugs.

Usual disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2.

Chapter 17. End of Term.

The incident at the mall had added fuel to Hirutani's thirst for revenge. _How could I have allowed that little runt to beat me like that?_

News had reached his parole officer Mrs Tanaka, that he had been involved in some sort of incident and much to his annoyance she had turned up at the hospital, where he and his two associates were being treated for their injuries.

"You realise that being involved in a fight is a serious breech of the conditions of your parole. I could have you sent back to prison," she informed him.

"They attacked us."

"Who attacked you?"

"An old rival with a grudge." That was all he was prepared to say on the matter.

"Hmm. I see. Had you been drinking or taking drugs this morning?"

"What's that got to do with it?!" Hirutani scowled at her.

"One of your friends has been arrested for having a quantity of crack cocaine in his possession. It is obvious that you have been drinking alcohol, I can smell it. Were you taking drugs as well."

_Shit! _Jonouchi had knocked Mika out cold and in his own concussed state he had forgotten to ditch the drugs his colleague, who was a dealer, had on him. "No comment."

"Well, I will find out when your blood test results come back."

"Heroin. I ain't an addict, I just take it for a bit of a buzz now and again, okay?" He admitted reluctantly.

"I thought as much. But I just needed to hear you say so. Right, well, I have called your sister..."

"What! Fuck.. no way," he interrupted.

"Yes, _way._ She is on her way here now. You have two choices. You stay with her until you are able to stay away from drugs and gang culture. Or you go back to prison. It's up to you." She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and made some notes.

"I don't have no choice then, do I," he growled.

"No, you don't. While there is no proof that the drugs found on your friend belong to you, you are still walking a thin line. One more slip and it is back to prison. Your sister is very worried about you, and is keen to help you stay out of trouble. I will also require you to attend a drugs and alcohol rehabilitation programme."

"Going to all this trouble," he sneered "you must really have the hots for me?"

Mrs Tanaka peered over the top of her glasses at him with an officious glare. "It is my job Mr. Hirutani. I hate to see a young man wasting his life."

He folded his arms and slumped back down on the hospital bed, defeated. For now he would do as they wanted. There would be plenty of time to get his revenge on that brat Mutou for humiliating him like this.

::::::::::::

Anzu's parents were away this weekend so she and Mai had the house to themselves. They decided to have their friends round for movies and a sleepover.

Mai came home from work at five thirty, laden with junk food snacks. Jonouchi immediately grabbed the bags and started to unpack them. Mai slapped his hand when he went to open a bag of spicy crackers.

"Ow! No need for that, I was only gonna have a few," he grumbled.

"Yeah well we know what your _few _means." She looked around the room and then at Anzu. "Where's Yugi? I would have thought he would be here with you!"

"Oh, he went home to check on Grandpa and to get a change of clothes. He will be here soon, he's picking Bakura up on the way," Anzu informed her.

"Yeah, you haven't heard what happened after you went back to work." Jonouchi proudly proceeded to tell her about Yugi's fight with Hirutani and their encounter with the two gang members.

"Yugi fought back for once eh, Well its about time he stuck up for himself. Good for him," she smiled. "Now let's get these pizzas in the oven. Jonouchi? You prepare the carrot sticks and celery."

"Carrot sticks and celery!" He wrinkled his nose up in disgust. "Why ya making me do the healthy stuff?" He argued.

"Because if I let you sort the other stuff out you will eat it all," Mai replied.

"Yes, and we know you don't like celery." Anzu giggled at the way he was glaring at the celery with a distasteful look.

The doorbell rang and Anzu's face lit up as she went to answer it. "That'll be Yugi and Ryou."

"Thought you might like these?" Yugi's face flushed slightly as he handed her a beautiful bouquet of red roses mixed with gypsophila.

"Ooh Yugi! They are lovely! What made you get me these?" She said, kissing him.

"I dunno, I just wanted to.. after what happened today and everything, I.." He was interrupted when Mai appeared.

"Ah... how romantic. You lucky girl," Mai said with a hint of envy. She turned to Jonouchi. "Why don't I ever get flowers?" She demanded, hands on hips.

Jonouchi backed away slightly, holding a celery stick out in defence. "I.. I didn't even know you liked flowers! _If I bought her flowers she would only accuse me of being guilty of something!_

"All girls like flowers you dummy," she growled, pretending to be angry, however she couldn't stop herself from smirking at his hang dog expression.

"Man, I can never win can I?" He groaned.

"Nope you can't!" Anzu confirmed. "Now where does my mum keep the vases?" She began rummaging around in the cupboard looking for one suitable to hold the bouquet of flowers.

Ryou beamed at their antics as he followed them into the kitchen. "I brought some soft drinks." He placed the bottles of iced tea and lemonade on the counter.

"Thanks Ryou. Have you decided when you are leaving for England yet?" Anzu asked, emerging from the cupboard with a vase big enough to contain the flowers.

"Yes, I have booked my flight for August the 24th. School finishes at the end of this week, so I will have a few weeks to spend time with you all before I go."

"I want to say I am pleased, but that sort of makes it sound like I want you to go!" Anzu reasoned.

Ryou laughed. "Don't worry, I know what you mean. You will all come and visit me in England some time, I hope?"

"Yeah, maybe me and Mai will take you up on that offer next spring, after I graduate," Jonouchi added. "Hey! Did Yugi tell you he beat the crap out of Hirutani earlier this afternoon? Gave him and one of his goons a real good beating, didn't you Yuge?"

Yugi winced at Jonouchi's announcement; his face going as red as one of the roses in the bouquet. He had been trying his best to forget about this afternoon and really didn't want reminding. "Y. yeah.." He scratched the back of his head.

"No!" Ryou looked at Yugi in amazement. "Why didn't you tell me Yugi? What happened?"

"Because it's no big deal guys. Can we just.. not talk about it...okay?"

"Come on Yuge, you were awesome today, my little spiky haired ninja!" Jonouchi was typically oblivious to Yugi's discomfort over the matter, so Mai grabbed him by the collar.

"You insensitive jerk!" She dragged him away, into the sitting room to sort out the choice of films to watch. "Can't you see that Yugi is not comfortable talking about it? He's not like you, he doesn't like to brag about his victories, especially when they involve beating someone up!"

Jonouchi face palmed. "Nrgh... you're right. I'm so caught up in the heroics that I didn't think, did I?"

"Nope!" She tapped him on the head with her knuckles. "You really should engage that brain sometimes."

Meanwhile, Yugi reluctantly told Ryou what had happened. And as always Ryou was full of comforting words.

"I know exactly how you feel about using violence Yugi, because I would feel the same way. Jonouchi is just relieved that you were unhurt in the fight and were able to protect yourself. It takes the pressure off him a little to know that you can protect yourself. Let him celebrate for now, the novelty will soon wear off."

"Thanks Ryou. You're probably right. It's the first time I have ever been in a fight and not lost!" _I guess I better man up and get used to it because I have a feeling Hirutani will want revenge, and next time I might not be so lucky!_

He decided to keep his concerns to himself, for fear of upsetting Anzu. She would be appearing in her ballet production next week and he couldn't have her fretting about him.

::::::::::::

It was three in the morning by the time they all went to bed. Honda and Ryou bedded down for the night in sleeping bags on the sofa in the study, which folded out into a double futon. While Mai and And Anzu retired to their rooms with their respective partners.

"Are you okay Yugi?" Anzu said closing the bedroom door.

"Yeah, of course. Just tired." When he noticed her sceptical look he sat down on the bed and sighed.

"Honestly Anzu, I'm exhausted, that's all. What happened today has taken a lot out of me, I'm still processing it all. But I will be fine, so stop worrying."

"If you say so." She sat down on the bed and hugged him, kissing his cheek. "I'm going to get ready for bed. We can use my parents en-suite, since Mai will take ages in the other bathroom." She got up to leave the room.

Yugi grabbed his toothbrush from his bag and followed.

Once they were back in Anzu's room they got undressed and into their nightwear.

Anzu's single bed was very cosy. "I really should get a double bed! Then maybe we will get a decent night sleep and not keep kicking each other," she said as they tried to snuggle down.

"You mean me don't you?" He said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her goodnight. "I can't help it. I have always been a restless sleeper."

"Well yeah, you are a bit of a wriggler," she giggled, sliding her arms inside his pyjama top and massaging his back. "Are we going straight to sleep or are you too exhausted?" She purred, fully expecting him to find the energy. No matter how tired he was, he always had the energy to make love.

"It's very late and I'm not really in the mood tonight...Goodnight Anzu." He kissed her on the forehead and stroked a stray strand of hair away from her face, noting her slight look of disappointment. "Sorry," he whispered.

"That's okay. You are right, it's a bit too late anyway." She removed her hands from under his shirt and made do with just cuddling up with him.

Sleep proved to be rather elusive for Yugi that night. He lay wedged on his side of the narrow bed, between Anzu and the wall for about an hour. Anzu had drifted off to sleep with her back towards him and he could hear her breathing softly. When he closed his eyes, he kept re-living the fight over and over, so he stared at the darkened ceiling and listened to the soft lullaby of Anzu's breathing.

He felt really awful for turning her down tonight, but today had been stressful and he really wasn't lying when he said he was not in the mood.

When he finally drifted off he started to dream vividly.

_He had somehow ended up in an abandoned warehouse near the old docks. There was no one else around, but he felt like he was being stalked by something. It was pitch dark, so he couldn't tell what it was. _

_He started to walk forward slowly, being careful of his footing and holding his arms out in an attempt to feel where he was going. 'Must not make any noise, must not make any noise,' he kept repeating over and over in his mind._

_Suddenly, his foot collided with a tin can, sending it clanging across the floor. He froze. They had heard him._

_Cackling like hyenas, the gang were circling him now, their eyes glowing in the darkness._

_They made a lunge for him and as he screamed, covering his head with his arms, the floor gave way and bright florescent light blinded his eyes. _

_Slowly he removed his hands from in front of his face and realised he was standing in the rest room where the fight had taken place. _

_He looked down to see Hirutani laying on the ground snarling back up at him, spitting expletives at him._

_Suddenly, Yugi was no longer in his own body, but looking down at himself and the prostrate Hirutani._

_He watched himself bend down and calmly pick up the discarded knife, glaring icily at it as he rolled the handle of the blade in his hand. He then watched in horror as the Yugi in his dream bent forward clutching Hirutani by the hair, yanking his head back._

_Yugi screamed "Noooo.." as his dream self placed the blade against Hirutani's throat and growled "Now die, you bastard."_

Yugi awoke with a start when his arm banged against the wall. He sat bolt upright, breathing in short raspy breaths. _What a horrible dream!_

Shakily he leaned across to see that Anzu was still deep in sleep. She was used to him squirming about in his sleep and luckily for him she was getting used to it.

He slipped out from under the covers and crawled off the end of the bed as quietly as he could.

Tiptoeing to the bathroom, he splashed some cold water on his face and took some cool, thirst quenching sips of water.

Standing up straight, he looked at himself in the mirror. _Did that nightmare mean that I am capable of murdering someone?_

He braced himself on the edge of the sink and swallowed slowly, wishing that Atem were still here. They often used to share the same dreams and visions. They would talk about it and try to make some sort of sense out of them. But now he was alone, and there was no way he wanted to tell anyone else. He really didn't want to believe that he could murder Hirutani.

"Yo Yuge!" Yugi jumped out of his skin and almost screamed out at the sound of Jonouchi's voice. "Can't sleep either eh?"

"I.. I just woke up feeling a bit.. hot.. and and thirsty." Yugi's voice sounded strained and a bit clipped. Jonouchi guessed there was something troubling his friend.

"Yeah, me too. Think I ate too much pizza. I got gut ache." He gave Yugi a funny look. "So wanna talk about what's bothering ya?" Jonouchi shut the door so their voices wouldn't travel.

"Not really." Yugi looked at the floor and bit his lip. "I had a bit of a nightmare about today. In it, I slit Hirutani's throat."

"Really! That would solve our problem," he chuckled.

"It's not funny!" Yugi tried to raise his voice while still keeping it to a whisper. "I murdered someone in my dream. What does that make me?"

"You think too much Yugi. You should be more like me and just brush these things off."

"That's easy for you to say." Yugi sat down on the edge of the bath and Jonouchi joined him. "I'm not you. I like to analyse things. What if it means that I would kill him if I got the chance, or that deep down I wish I had."

"Do you feel like that?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Look, the way I see it. You could have picked up the knife and slit his throat, but you didn't. You even offered him help after and he refused. If it came to a fight to the death, maybe you were trying to convince yourself that you could go through with it if you had no other choice."

"I guess that's one way of looking at it. Thanks Jonouchi," Yugi smiled. "I feel a bit better now... I think."

"See, I can anissalize.. or whatever it is, when I have to. Any time you wanna talk buddy, just ask. I'm all ears. I reckon I would make a brilliant shrink." He clamped Yugi on the back. "Now if you don't mind, I'm desperate for a piss."

Yugi started to laugh. Trust Jonouchi. In his own unique way he had managed to cheer him up. "Yeah, I need to go too. I will use the other bathroom." He got up and headed to the en-suite to use the toilet there, before going back to bed.

As he slipped into the bed beside Anzu, she started to stir. "Yugi," she mumbled.

"Shhh...I have just been out for a pee. Go back to sleep," he whispered, gently stroking her hair.

"O..okay," she murmured, nuzzling into his chest and settling back down on him.

He cuddled her, embracing her lovingly. _'stupid dream. Jonouchi's right, I am over analysing it. It was just a stupid messed up dream."_

In the comfort of Anzu's warm embrace and with the feel of her soft skin and delicate scent, he soon drifted back to sleep.

::::::::::::

Today was Thursday and so far, the week had gone by without any further news of Hirutani and his gang. Yugi had put the fight behind him and he and Anzu were in good spirits when they arrived at school. Anzu was excited about dancing in the ballet show at the weekend, and Yugi was feeling happy for her.

It was also the final day of the school term and everyone was looking forward to the summer holidays.

When Yugi and Anzu stepped into the classroom their friends were already there. "Hey guys," Yugi smiled placing his backpack under his desk, and moving to join Jonouchi, Honda and Ryou.

"Hey Anzu, Yugi." Jonouchi had been waiting to tell them the news he had received last night. "A little birdie told me that Hirutani got his wrist slapped for your little brawl at the mall." Everyone groaned at his attempt at rhyme. "He has gone to stay with his sister in Futtsu on the other side of Tokyo Bay. Apparently he has been ordered to stay away from Domino and his little gang of monkeys, or face going back to the slammer."

"Your little birdie seems to know an awful lot about Hirutani, what exactly is this business venture they are involved in?" Anzu was interested to know.

"I shouldn't tell you this, but he is working for a Russian business man, stealing expensive cars to order. Hirutani wants in on it. That's all I know. He asked me if I was interested, but I told him _no way!_"

Honda breathed a sigh of relief that Jonouchi had the sense to turn the offer down. "Good job man, you could land yourself in serious trouble if you got involved with the Russian Mafia. I only hope your friend knows what he has got himself into."

Jonouchi was reflective as he sat back in his chair. "Yeah... no way I wanted to get involved in stuff like that."

Yugi smiled and clamped Jonouchi on the shoulder. "That's good to hear Jonouchi. I still think we should be cautious though. Hirutani might not be around for now, but that isn't to say his gang won't be spying on us."

His friends all nodded, agreeing with him.

"Anyway," Anzu beamed. "I have some news too. You will never guess what I found out during rehearsals last night?" She shrugged and winked when Yugi looked at her quizzically. Why hadn't she said anything to him this morning?

After several silly guesses, including and elephant dancing in a tu tu and the principal dancer only got the role because _he_ is sleeping with the producer, they all gave up.

"Kaiba is one of the sponsors for the show," she told them with a smirk.

"No way!" Honda and Yugi said together in disbelief.

_That's weird! _Yugi thought. _Mokuba didn't say anything when we discussed the ballet! Maybe he doesn't know. I doubt Kaiba tells him everything._

"You gotta be kidding me? Money bags is spending his own money on ballet!" Jonouchi shrieked.

"Why not Jonouchi," Ryou informed him. "Most large corporations set aside money for charity and community projects. It is an excellent way for them to get good publicity, while at the same time appearing generous."

"Yeah, he already supports orphans and childrens charities," Yugi added.

"And it's not like he can't afford it," Honda chipped in.

"Well I think it is very nice of Kaiba," Anzu said.

"Yeah, well I bet he's only doing it for his own benefit. Like taking all the profits," Jonouchi added cynically.

"That's not a very nice thing to say Jonouchi!" Anzu sounded a little annoyed at Jonouchi's cynicism towards the Kaiba's.

"It doesn't matter what his motive is dude. If Anzu gets to dance because of _his_ money, then it's fine by me," Honda told him.

"I agree with Honda," Yugi responded. "Please don't say anything offensive if you see him Jonouchi, I don't want him taking it out on Anzu, by having her taken out of the show or anything like that," he stated firmly.

"Nah... I promise I won't say anything," he sighed reluctantly. He decided to change the subject before he dug himself into a hole. "How about we all go celebrate at Burger World after school finishes?"

"Yeah.. burgers on Jonouchi!" Yugi grinned.

Everyone nodded in agreement, causing Jonouchi to groan. It was going to be an expensive afternoon.

* * *

**Please review.**


	18. Chapter 18

I have to confess, I know very little about ballet. I googled ballet shows and came up with a whole list of them, so I just randomly picked one that had an interesting title. I have never seen the film or a performance of the story. For that reason, I won't try to go into any detail about it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, or have any rights to On Your Toes film or musical.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2.

Chapter 18. Domino Dancers.

"Good morning Kieko," As usual, Seto Kaiba addressed his secretary without breaking a smile.

"Good morning Sir," she smiled warmly, as she did every morning, in the hope that he would smile back. He never did.

Ignoring her friendly smile, he replied in his usual businesslike tone. "What have you got for me today?" He held his hand out for any important mail or messages.

"Mr Pegasus called." Knowing his likely response, she tried not to smirk. She valued her job.

"Oh, great," he hissed through gritted teeth. "I wonder what that big girls blouse is after!" _Probably wants to be invited to Kaibaland's grand opening next week, _he guessed."Anything else?" He enquired spotting a brown envelope with his name handwritten on it.

"Yes, the complimentary tickets for the show on Saturday evening have been delivered." Kieko handed him the brown envelope.

"Show! I thought I was supposed to be attending some tedious charity function." He raised his eyebrows questioningly as he opened the envelope to find two tickets and a thank you letter to a performance of On Your Toes, by a local dance outfit called Domino Dancers. "You expect me to watch a bunch of people singing and dancing?!"

"Mr. Kaiba!" She scolded him playfully. "They are Domino's finest dance company. They are one of the local arts groups chosen by Kaiba Foundation to receive funding as part of your community project. They have given you a complimentary VIP box as a thank you. Should you wish to take more than one guest, they will issue more tickets."

Due to his busy schedule, Seto Kaiba was not directly involved in the running of his public relations department. He had trustworthy employees who looked at the various charities, community projects and local groups that needed funding. It was good for Kaiba Corporation's public image to be seen contributing to community projects and local organisations. A certain sum of money was set aside each quarter for charitable donations. It also carried with it the added bonus of being tax deductible. All Kaiba ever requested was a monthly report to explain where the money had been allocated.

"That will not be necessary. Thank you." He tucked the tickets inside his jacket and entered his office.

Turning his lap top on, he typed in Domino Dancers and scanned through the information he found. Local group of amateur dancers. They teach ballet, tap and modern dance to children from age four. They also taught adults and coached professional dancers. He tapped in the name of the show and was not surprised when he noticed the name Anzu Mazaki listed among the cast for the three performances, scheduled for the weekend. _Oh great, I just hope I don't bump into the geek squad while I'm there._

He picked up his phone and dialled Mokuba's number. "Seto! If you're checking on me to make sure I arrived at school on time, then the answer is yes. This had better be quick, I'm about to start lessons."

"That's not why I'm calling Mokuba," he said in a flat monotone voice. "Don't arrange anything for tomorrow evening. You are coming with me to see the Mazaki girl dance in some show."

Mokuba responded with excitement. "Wow, you got tickets? That's cool. Yugi told me Anzu was in a show. I was going to ask you tonight if we could go and see her dance this weekend."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. _So Mokuba already knows about it. _"Yes, well apparently I am the main sponsor, so they sent me tickets."

"Really, you never said anything! Will we be sitting with Yugi?" He hoped.

"That's because I had no idea myself! And I certainly hope not! We have VIP tickets so we will have our own box overlooking the stage. With any luck, we will be able to avoid the little geek squad."

"Don't be like that big bro! I like Yugi and his friends," he defended.

"It's not Yugi I worry about, he's okay. Its that blonde moron that hangs around with him I wish to avoid."

Mokuba tut tutted. He really couldn't understand why his brother held such disdain for Jonouchi. Alright so Jonouchi was loud, over excitable and often spoke before engaging his brain, but he was a good guy and always stood up for his friends. "Look, I gotta go, the teacher's just arrived. See ya tonight Seto."

"Yes, goodbye Mokuba. I will be home at seven. Have Rowland arrange tonight's meal for seven thirty." He hung up abruptly.

Mokuba frowned. "Goodbye big brother," he whispered to the empty line. He knew he was being silly and over sensitive, but he couldn't help feeling hurt when Seto spoke to him in such an abrupt and business like manner. It was just the way Seto was towards people. When he was in public or at the office he adopted an air of authority and treated everyone with the same disdain. Even his brother!

::::::::::::

Tonight was the opening night of On Your Toes and Anzu was extremely excited, but very nervous at the same time. The lead female dancer had been forced to pull out after injuring her Achilles tendon. Anzu had proved herself to be a quick learner and had been promoted from chorus line, to the role of Frankie.

The show started at seven in the evening, so Anzu needed to be at the theatre at three, for a last minute run through to ensure the lighting and everything needed to make it run smoothly were all in order, and of course to get ready.

After having to spend the morning minding the shop, Yugi arrived at one thirty to find her completely hyper and flapping around like a baby bird that had fallen from its nest.

"Thank goodness you've arrived Yugi. Maybe you will have more luck calming her than I have," Anzu's mother stated. "She is in a terrible state."

"Where is she Mrs Mazaki?" Yugi wondered.

"In the bathroom, showering."

"Oh okay, should I go up?" He was unsure if Anzu's parents would allow him upstairs while she was dressing. "Or, erm... wait down here?"

Before Anzu's mother could answer, Anzu called down. "Is that Yugi? Oh thank god you're here. Come on up?"

Yugi glanced at Anzu's mother for confirmation before running upstairs to find Anzu dripping wet and wrapped in a towel, peering out from behind the bathroom door.

"Hi," he said simply, trying hard not to appear as if he was looking lustfully round the door at her.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Don't be silly," she said. "You _can_ look at me you know!"

He blushed, stepping forward. "It's just, er um.. you look sexy, all wet like that! And your parents are downstairs," he admitted in a hushed tone.

"O! Oh.. kay," she raised her eyebrows at him. "Wait in my room then. I won't be a sec."

He did as she suggested, sitting on the chair at her desk to wait for her.

A few minutes later, she came bursting into the room, wearing a pink dressing gown. Her hair had been roughly towel dried, but was still damp and sticking out all over the place. He stood up to greet her and she threw her arms around him, bouncing about on the balls of her feet.

"Hey!" He laughed. "Calm down, or you will be worn out by this evening."

"I can't help it, this is such an amazing chance, what if I screw it up?"

"You won't. You will do just great," he soothed reassuringly.

"But I can't sit still! I can't concentrate on anything. It's awful. How on earth do you cope with the nerves when you are duelling?"

"Believe me, I get nervous. But I have my friends to cheer for me. And don't forget, I always had the other Me to help and reassure me. Just trust in your ability and what you have learned and you will be fine." He hugged her close, enjoying the strange sensation of her wet hair sticking to his face. Her body felt like a tightly coiled spring waiting to unravel. "Just relax Anzu, you feel so tense!"

"I'm trying... I do feel a bit better now that you are here." She let go of him and went over to the dresser to dry her hair. Yugi sat down and watched her with a look of love and admiration.

When she had finished drying her hair, she turned to look at the pile of clothing on her bed. "Now what shall I wear?"

Yugi laughed. "You must have your whole wardrobe strewn all over your bed! Wear what ever feels comfortable, it's not like you will be dancing in it. You have a costume, right?"

"Yes, of course we have costumes.. silly!" She picked up a couple of sweat tops. "This one? Or this one?"

"Erm, that one?" He guessed, pointing to the red zip up hoody.

"Urgh, that one! Really? With my peach coloured t-shirt?! It will clash."

"Will it?! I'm a guy remember? I have no idea what colour goes with what! And why did you pick it up if you don't want to wear it?!"

"I don't know, I.. never mind," she shrugged. "Okay, since you like the red hoody. That, that and that."

"It was only a..." he began, as she threw the red hoody, along with a white tee shirt and black track pants at Yugi. "suggestion," he said meekly, catching the garments.

"No peeping Yugi!" She took off her dressing gown and let it drop to the floor. Yugi half closed his eyes and averted his gaze towards the ceiling while making a whistling sound. However, as soon as she bent down to put her panties on he gave in to the urge to peek. The sight of her bending over like that while naked, was a temptation he could not resist. Anzu noticed and picked another pair of panties out of her drawer and threw them at him playfully. "I told you no peeping... Guys," she tutted. "You are all the same."

"B.. but...You were teasing me! I couldn't stop myself!" He sighed and rolled his eyes. _Girls, It's not like I haven't seen her naked before! _He handed her the sweat pants and top. "I doubt you will need the hoody, it's pretty hot out today."

"I know. But I might later this evening if it gets cool. There, how do I look?"

"Beautiful," he grinned, kissing her. "We should get going. Have you got everything you need to take?"

"Yes," she nodded, picking up the sports bag she had packed with her ballet slippers and toiletries. Yugi took it from her and carried it downstairs.

"Are you ready Anzu love?" Her father said, picking up his car keys.

"Yep!" She hugged her mother. "See you later mum."

"I'm so proud of you darling. I should probably tell you to break a leg! But not literally." They all laughed.

Her mother watched proudly as her daughter climbed into the back of the car with Yugi.

Anzu smiled and waved through the car window, as her father drove away. It only seemed like yesterday that she had taken her daughter, then aged four, to her first ballet lesson. Now, almost fourteen years later, she was about to appear in her first proper show. She chuckled fondly at her memories of the first show her daughter had appeared in at the age of six. It had been so lovely watching the children all proudly showing off the simple dance routines they had been taught. She was looking forward to watching Anzu dance this evening, showing just how accomplished she had become.

Yugi accompanied her to the stage door while her father waited in the car. "I will be back later for the show. If I don't get to see you before it starts, good luck!" He kissed her quickly and gave her a reassuring hug, before she was whisked inside to join the rest of the cast, to prepare for the opening night.

Smiling, Yugi got back into the car. "She will do just great, I just know she will," he stated, feeling a little anxious for her.

"Yeah..." Mr. Mazaki pulled away from the kerb. "Can't believe my little girl is finally getting her chance," he chuckled. "I never thought she would stick at it, but she has proved me wrong. Maybe all that money we are spending on lessons and this school in New York will pay off after all."

"Hmm," Yugi agreed. "I have never seen her so determined. I just hope she will be okay on her own in New York. I wish I could go with her, but I will be starting at college and I don't know how much free time I will have to go and see her in New York!"

"Don't worry Yugi, She will think I'm being an overprotective dad, but I am going with her to see she gets settled in. I want to make sure her accommodation is safe and that there are no hidden catches."

Yugi breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I will feel a lot better knowing she has someone to help her settle in."

Mr. Mazaki pulled up outside the game shop. "Do you want a lift to the theatre this evening? Or will you be going with your friends?"

"Thanks for the offer, but Mai said she and Jonouchi would pick me, mum and Grandpa up at six thirty."

"Oh okay, well, we will see you at the theatre then Yugi."

"Yup." Yugi nodded his response. "Bye Mr. Mazaki." Yugi watched as Anzu's father drove away, before stepping indoors.

::::::::::::

Feeling rather more nervous than he ever did when he faced an opponent in a duel, Yugi took his seat in the middle of the front row. Although he knew very little about ballet other than the dance steps Anzu had shown him, he still loved to watch her dance. The other dancers could all jump up and down waving their arms and legs about for all he cared. His eyes would be on her and her alone. She would be sensational.

"Hey! Do ya think money bags is here?" Jonouchi sat down between Yugi and Mai, with his extra large ice cream which sported two chocolate flakes.

"Quite likely." Mai frowned when she saw the ice cream all round his mouth. _God he's embarrassing._

"Mokuba, rang Anzu last night to wish her luck," Yugi told them. "He said that he and Kaiba would be in the VIP box up there somewhere." He nodded up to where the private boxes jutted out from the wall. There were three on each side of the auditorium, overlooking the stage.

Jonouchi immediately scanned the boxes to see if he could spot the Kaibas. "How come we didn't get one of those? We're VIP's and Yugi's girlfriend is one a da stars!" He said in an rather loud voice.

"Yugi might be a celebrity, but I wouldn't call you one Jou," Honda smirked.

"I prefer to.." Yugi attempted to say "sit in the front row," but was drowned out when Jonouchi leaped up and screeched.

"Waddaya mean I ain't a celebrity?" He reached across Mai to grab Honda and dropped his ice cream in her lap. "Ooops!" He grinned sheepishly, sitting back down in his seat to await his punishment.

Mai growled and only just managed to stop herself strangling him. "Sit still you moron," she growled, doing her best not to create even more of a scene.

"Here?" Grandpa Mutou and Mrs Mazaki both handed her some tissues. Luckily the ice cream wiped off her cream coloured leather skirt fairly easily.

"Just think yourself lucky I'm wearing leather so it wipes off easily," she hissed at him.

Up in the VIP box, Seto and Mokuba could hear the disruption coming from the front row of the theatre.

"There they are Seto," Mokuba pointed excitedly, but was pulled back down into his seat, by his brother.

"Sit still Mokuba. You don't want those idiots to spot us, do you?" He rolled his eyes at the antics going on in the front row. "Why am I not surprised to see that idiot making a scene." He shook his head in disbelief at Jonouchi's behaviour. A moment later the lights dimmed and the curtain went up.

::::::::::::

Anzu could almost feel her knees knocking as she waited to go on stage. Her mind was completely blanc and she wasn't sure if her legs would obey her command. _Oh boy! Here goes..._

She followed the lead male dancer in front of her and gracefully moved out onto the stage. The spotlights were upon her as she began to move rhythmically, in time with the music. There hadn't been time for her to scan the audience for her family and friends, but she knew they would be there.

"Aww man, look? There she is!" Jonouchi gasped, full of excitement. "Wow, she's awesome Yuge!" He nudged his friend, who was sitting forward in his seat gazing in awe at the sight of his girlfriend dancing on stage. Unable to take his eyes off her, all Yugi could do was nod.

"Shhh.." Mai elbowed Jonouchi angrily. His fidgeting and chattering was spoiling it for her. She had not said anything to her friends, but she secretly loved going to the theatre and enjoyed ballet. It always moved her and made her feel emotional- not something she was keen to let on to her friends.

As soon as the show was over, the audience erupted in applause. Yugi clapped so hard his hands stung.

Jonouchi and Honda both jumped up and stuck their fingers in their mouths letting out shrill whistling sounds when Anzu and the other dancers all came out on stage to take a bow. Poor Mai was wedged between them and they almost burst her ear drums.

Anzu spotted her friends and gave them a happy wave. Yugi gave her the thumbs up and felt a bit silly when his eyes become wet with tears of joy. However, when he glanced at Anzu's parents they were both crying, and her father was making no attempt to hide his tears of joy. He also noticed that Mai's make up was smudged with tears, while Honda was wiping his cheeks with his sleeve. Jonouchi grabbed one of Mai's discarded, ice cream soaked tissues and blew his nose loudly. It was clear that everyone else felt the same emotion, so he let his tears fall.

Meanwhile, in their private box, Seto and Mokuba were also applauding the dancers. "Wasn't that awesome Seto?" Mokuba jumped up and down, joyfully clapping his hands together.

"If you say so." Kaiba remained in his seat, clapping politely. He had to admit to himself that it was rather enjoyable and the Mazaki girl was a pretty good dancer.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door to the private box. Mokuba rushed to answer it. One of the theatre's ushers was standing there looking rather nervous. "Er.. excuse me, sorry to interrupt Mr. Kaiba. My..my manager asked me to.. to ask you if would would be kind enough to greet the dancers and present them all with bouquets, please..Sir. If you don't mind."

With a smirk, Seto Kaiba stood up to his full height and towered over the nervous looking man. The man seemed to visibly shrink in front of him. He always loved it when people cowered meekly in his presence. "If you stop stuttering as if you are afraid I might bite you, I would be more than happy to meet the dancers. Lead the way, if you can remember where to go!"

"I know he was a bit of a snivelling idiot Seto, but you were a bit mean to him," Mokuba observed as they went through a door marked Staff Only, and continued down a dimly lit spiral staircase.

Kaiba didn't bother to respond.

Once back stage, Seto Kaiba was relieved to find that the geek squad were nowhere in sight. It was fairly cramped backstage, and the dressing rooms were not over large, so friends and family of the dancers, costumers and make up artists, had been asked to wait outside the stage door to meet up with their family members.

He dutifully went along the line shaking the dancers hands, while a grinning Mokuba handed them each a small bouquet of flowers. When he came to Anzu he smirked. "Well, well, so Yugi isn't the only one with a talent. I must say I was impressed." Watching the dancers had given him a last minute idea to include some sort of dance spectacular in his grand opening of Kaibaland Japan.

"You were brilliant Anzu." Mokuba wanted to hug her, but guessed it might not be appropriate so he refrained from doing so.

"I have a job offer for you, if you are interested. Who do I talk to?"

"As long as it isn't another Death T," she smiled sweetly through gritted teeth. Last time she had worked for Kaiba, she had been required to man a shooting game that turned out to have stun guns set to kill. It had come as a terrible surprise, when she found out that the game had been set up as a trap for Yugi, with intention of killing him!

"Whatever makes you think it is something like that Mazaki? I need some good dancers for the grand opening next weekend. Who do I approach to arrange it?"

"That would be me." A tall lean, woman of around thirty, with extremely good muscle tone and orange hair, standing just behind him spoke up. "I'm Mrs Fujimori. I run Domino School of Dance. Aka Domino Dancers," she said confidently.

The theatre director sighed, gesturing for Kaiba to hurry up and move along the line of dancers. Kaiba just glared at him.

"It is an honour Mrs Fujimori." He took her hand and bowed slightly in respect.

"Likewise Mr. Kaiba." Mrs Fujimori curtsied, causing Seto to raise his eyebrow in amusement.

"My secretary will be in touch with you first thing on Monday. I know it is short notice, but I feel certain your dancers will not let me down."

"Of course not! My staff and dancers are all highly skilled, a week will be all we need to perfect one of our routines. We will not disappoint you Mr. Kaiba," She stated confidently.

_Thank goodness_, Seto thought. _A woman that projects herself confidently, and does not go all silly and simpering in my presence. I like her already._

Anzu couldn't wait to tell Yugi that she had already received her second job offer! And from none other than Seto Kaiba himself.

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**Next time.. The grand opening of Kaibaland Japan.**

**Hope you enjoyed. **

**Please review.**


	19. Chapter 19

Over the last few weeks I have been watching the DVD's of the series. Whilst I really enjoyed the Virtual Reality Arc with Noah and the Doma Arc, I was not so keen on the Grand Championship story. I thought it was rather silly and portrayed the main characters (especially Joey and Grandpa) as idiots. Having said that, it has provided me with inspiration for the next few chapters.

Thank you to Aqua girl 007 for pointing out that Kaiba Land had already been opened in Japan. It prompted me to research it a bit. I couldn't find anything definite, other than the original Death T Kaiba Land tower from the early manga, and the plans for the future park. To save confusion, I have made it a re-vamped, updated re-launch, with upgrades to certain features. Hopefully that eliminates any confusion and makes it sound feasible.

Also, when you try to picture the duel arena, think of the one they had in GX at Duel Academy; that's what I did!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or Kaiba Land.

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Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 19. Kaiba Land.

The local newspapers had given the show rave reviews. Anzu was on cloud 9 as Mai read out the article in the Domino Herald. "With the help of sponsorship from Kaiba Corporation, local ballet school, Domino School of Dance and Drama were able to showcase the talents of its pupils in an extremely professional production of On Your Toes. Originally, this 1936 musical, also released as a film in 1939. Bla bla..." She skimmed through until she found what she was looking for. "Up and coming young dancer Anzu Mazaki wowed the audience with her wonderful portrayal of Frankie. Truly a star in the making, Miss Mazaki 17, is also the girlfriend of The King of Games, Yugi Mutou.. There is a lovely picture of you dancing and one of you and Yugi together." Anzu tried to grab the newspaper from her.

"Let me see, let me see.."

Mai relinquished her hold on the paper.

"Ooh, when did they take that?" There was a picture of them coming out of the game store hand in hand. Neither teen had been aware they were being photographed and were snuggling up to each other as the walked.

"That's paparazzi for you. They will take photos when you are least expecting it. Just be thankful they didn't get a picture of him trying to clean your belly button out with his tongue!" Mai smirked.

"Mai!" Anzu's face went pink.

"Well that's the sort of mean thing they do to famous people. Look at the English royal family, they have had some embarrassing moments. When I was in Paris last year, one of the princes was pictured wearing a Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party and having an orgy with a stripper, or something like that."

"Oh! I didn't know that! But Yugi and I aren't royalty. And we certainly don't misbehave or do that sort of thing!"

"What do you mean, not royalty. He's part Pharaoh and King of Games, you are his Queen." Mai smirked. She always enjoyed teasing Anzu.

"Yeah, well if I catch anyone trying to take photos without our consent I will personally shove their camera right up their..." Anzu was cut off by her phone ringing. "Kaiba!" She answered.

"Don't sound so surprised. Nice little article in the Herald, don't you think? It's good to see my company gets the praise it deserves for giving your little ballet school a chance of success."

Anzu rolled her eyes at his comment. "I might have guessed you would take all the credit Kaiba."

"Yes, well the reason I am calling, is to tell you that I am meeting with Mrs Fujimori at eleven, to discuss the dance routine for next Saturday. You might wish to attend with Yugi, he is coming in to sign the contract for his part in next Saturday's festivities."

"O okay. I will let him know I am coming." She cleared her throat. "And thank you Kaiba." For some reason she found it difficult to say thank you to him. It almost felt as if she was stroking his ego!

"Try not to sound as if you are choking on your words. See you at eleven." He hung up.

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Seto Kaiba stepped into the meeting room, situated on the ground floor of the new Kaiba Corp building, where Yugi, Anzu and Mrs. Fujimori were waiting for him, along with the staff responsible for the re-opening of his new bigger, better Kaiba Land. They were eagerly waiting to give him a progress report.

The staff; two project engineers, the accountant responsible for costing and an advertising agent, all stood to greet him- bowing politely.

When she saw them all stand, Mrs Fujimori also stood to be polite. Anzu decided that she should probably stand as well, but as she hesitantly stood, Yugi grabbed her hand and pulled her back into her seat. He had no intention of standing to greet his old rival and wasn't about to let Anzu either.

Seto Kaiba ignored everyone else and looked straight at Yugi nodding his head, smirking. "Good to see you again Yugi. I trust you have read through the contract I forwarded to you?"

"Of course I have Kaiba." He was only partly telling the truth. He had skimmed through it, and then given it to his grandfather to look through, knowing that he would be far more likely to challenge anything that he wasn't happy about.

"Good, then you will have agreed to my requirements and signed it then?"

Yugi's face went pink. He turned to the second page where his grandfather had circled a section in red pen relating to fees for his appearance at the tournament and festivities. The paragraph stated that Yugi would receive expenses for refreshments and a free day pass to the amusement park, for him and a guest. His grandfather had not been happy at this and instructed Yugi to charge a fee for his time.

Trying not to stutter, he began. "There is no mention in here about my fees for giving my time and effort to making your planned tournament a success."

Kaiba gave him an incredulous glare in an attempt to put him off. Yugi was expecting this and didn't waver. He glared back at Kaiba and waited for a reply.

"So, what you are saying, is that you want to be paid! Am I correct?"

"Y..yes."

"Is that so. Hmph... I would have thought that you would be happy to donate your time, in order to help children develop their duelling skills." If he was trying to guilt trip Yugi, it didn't work.

"I am usually happy to give children my advice for free, but I understand that you are charging them to enter the brand new duelling arena and duel each other for the opportunity to duel against me, therefore I request a share of the profits. After all, I will be giving up my whole weekend."

Kaiba frowned and was about to speak when Anzu pitched in. "Yugi deserves to be paid Kaiba. It's unfair that you expect him to work all weekend for nothing. I am being paid to dance." It annoyed Anzu that Kaiba had been trying to prey on Yugi's good, kind nature to increase his own profits. Many fans would be willing to pay to enter, just so that they could meet and learn from the King of Games in person.

"Very well. If you insist. I don't have time to argue with you about it so I will draw up a revised contract."

Yugi smiled at his victory and was pleased that he managed to stick up for his rights. "Thank you Kaiba." He chucked the contract at the accountant to sort out.

Anzu smiled and placed her hand on Yugi's thigh, she was proud of him for having the confidence to stand up to Kaiba.

"Okay," Kaiba said, moving on to address his staff. "I understand you were having some technical problems with the new Into the Shadows ride. Will it be ready on time?"

"I believe so Sir," one of the engineers replied, sitting forward and consulting his diagrams.

"You believe so? That is not a sufficient answer. I want that ride ready, do you understand?"

"Y. yes Mr. Kaiba. In answer to your question, we had some problems with the hydraulic lifting gear and the speed controller for the drop, but we have resolved the issue and the ride is currently undergoing final testing."

"Good. And the new 3D holographic platform?"

"All up and running. We need to arrange for someone with duelling abilities equal to yours Sir, but with very a different strategy, so that we can further test the new computer simulator programme."

"That is another reason you are here today Yugi. I need you to duel against the new simulator for me. You should feel privileged, you will be the first to see the new duel arena," Kaiba said smugly.

Yugi nodded. "Okay." Secretly he was very excited to be the first person other than Kaiba to get to duel in the new arena.

"Good, then lets go. Mrs Fujimori, I am sure you are keen to see where you will be performing, so follow me." Kaiba got up and everyone stood to follow him.

After exiting the building they followed Kaiba, towards the theatre. The route took them past the revamped Death T virtual reality game building. Anzu and Yugi both looked at one another and shuddered at the memory of the original Death T they had encountered a few years back.

Yugi looked with interest at the work going on in the theatre, in preparation for the new Kaibaman show. Apparently Kaiba wanted the dancers to be part of the opening show.

"Mrs Fujimori. This is where you and your dancers will be working."

Kaiba introduced them to the Artistic Director. He and Yugi then left them to head towards the Duel Arena.

"I'm interested to see this new Shadow ride you were talking about Kaiba," Yugi asked as they headed back the way they had come, and then turned right, past the new Kaiba Corp building.

"Later, I want you to see the new arena first, I think you will be impressed."

They stopped in front of a new more futuristic looking building with a big sign in neon blue, lit up with the words Duelling Arena.

Once in side, Yugi was awed by the size. There were dozens of tables along one side of the building, all had duel mats built into them that could project minute holograms of the monsters on a small field between the players. The cafeteria had been re-decorated and was much brighter than Yugi remembered from the last time he had been in here a few months ago, when upon his return from Egypt, Kaiba had challenged him to a duel.

The duel area was different too. Gone were the old duel platforms. The new platform looked like a futuristic ice rink, with a shimmering silver/blue floor, criss crossed with thin black lines, which Yugi guessed were the wires containing the holographic projectors. Curving around half of the arena were rows of seating for the spectators; giving it a stadium feel.

"Wow!" Was all Yugi could say.

"You should feel honoured Yugi, you are the first person, aside from myself and the development team, who have seen the next generation of holographic duel technology. It now as the capability of making the duels even more realistic."

"More realistic! In what way?" Yugi was intrigued.

"Those little tricks that Marik was able to pull; making the duelist feel the same pain their monster feels. This new system can replicate a similar sensation. The grid you are now standing on, can be set to deliver the duelist a mild sensation of pain. It will add a whole new level of excitement, as the duelist will need to demonstrate the ability to overcome the discomfort if they want to win." Kaiba grinned at Yugi, showing his perfectly while teeth.

Yugi was a little shocked- not because of Kaiba grinning, but because he was a little concerned for the duelists. "But what about safety? I mean, if someone had a weak heart it could be dangerous! What if someone steals this idea and uses it illegally? People could be seriously injured!"

"Trust you to see the negatives Yugi. I have thought of that. Every duelist will need to undergo a medical before they are allowed to use the maximum level on this system. They will also need to sign a disclaimer to state they duel at their own risk and accept full responsibility if they suffer any unfortunate side effects. Of course, the majority of duels will be played at the lower levels, depending on the users ability. But this prototype is the future of duelling, and while duelists will experience realistic pain and discomfort, they will not receive any actual physical injury. Do you wish to try it Yugi?" Kaiba was daring him- challenging him.

It was too good for Yugi to resist. "You brought me here to test out your new system. You know I never back down from a challenge, so bring it on." Yugi patted the deck pouch that was hanging from his hip. "I have added a few new cards to my deck Kaiba. With any luck your computer won't have a strategy pre-planned to beat it."

"I am glad you have the balls to meet this challenge Yugi. I was worried that without help from the little friend you created when you had the puzzle, yours might not be big enough."

Yugi ignored Kaiba's dig and pulled his duel disk out of his bag.

"That duel disk won't work on the new system Yugi. It will need to be re-programmed first. Here use this one." Kaiba handed him a duel disk. It was silver and blue and felt much lighter than his. The edges were smoothly rounded giving it a more fashionable feel.

Yugi nodded. Slipping duel disk onto his wrist, he switched it on and held his arm out as he slotted his deck into place. "Impressive."

"Okay Yugi, I will set the duelist level to maximal level ten, which is MY level. We will use pain threshold five. Okay?"

Yugi assumed that five was the midway setting. "Yup, okay." He felt the familiar sensation of anticipation and excitement, mixed with a slight nervousness flow through his body. The grid on the duel field hummed slightly as it lit up and Yugi could feel the static tingling up through his legs, almost giving him a feeling of being about to play a Shadow Game; all be it in the light rather than the darkness.

A section of the floor opened up suddenly, and a very realistic, human looking robot rose up through the opening and stood to face Yugi, with a duel disk attached to its robotic arm. Yugi almost jumped at the sight, causing Kaiba to chuckle.

"Meet Bernard Yugi."

"Bernard?!"

"Yes, after the scientist that designed him for me. He has a sister called Bernadette."

Yugi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Right... O...kay!" He turned to face the robot. "Lets duel. I will go first."

Despite Yugi managing to get his Dark Magician on the field in his second turn, the robot duelist had Yugi on the ropes. It quickly destroyed his magician and the blast effect winded him and sent him sprawling backwards, causing him to land heavily on his backside. He also lost 500 life points.

"Ouch!" He stood up rubbing his behind. He was sure to be left with a bruise. "I thought you said there would be no actual bodily harm?"

Kaiba shrugged. "Your not bleeding and you didn't break anything. A bruised ego does not count."

On his next turn, Yugi drew Monster Reborn and was able to bring back his Dark Magician.

It didn't take him long to get used to the sensation of being electrocuted, sliced and pounded, and he had to admit it was pretty good, adrenalin filled fun.

He soon managed to turn the duel in his favour and finished off his opponent with of one if his favourite combinations- Dark Magician and Diffusion Wave Motion.

Shaking his limbs out, he stepped out of the arena. "Phew! If that is pain level five, I hate to imagine what level ten is like!"

"Level five _is_ the maximum level Yugi. You were my first Guinea Pig. If I am going to pay you for your services, then I intend to get my moneys worth." He shot Yugi a smug, superior look.

"Thanks a bundle." Yugi shook his head.

"Come on Yugi, I will show you the new Shadow ride and the new improved Blue Eyes Jet Coaster. That's if you are not too battered and bruised."

"I'm fine, I've had worse." Having been used as a bullies punch bag in the past, he was used to a few knocks.

"Hey Yugi!" Mokuba came rushing over to greet them as they approached the new ride. "Good to see you again. How is the alarm system? Keeping the bad guys away I hope."

"Yeah, it's great thanks Mokuba. Is this the new ride?"

Mokuba nodded proudly. "Yes, Seto let me design it! It's really cool."

Yugi noted that there were seats that looked like Slifer's coils, positioned around a central pillar that resembled Obelisk The Tormentor. Ra was rearing up from the ground encasing it and forming the back drop to the ride.

Mokuba went on to explain that the ride wound slowly upwards and when it reached the top of the obelisk, it dropped at an accelerated rate while unwinding, sending the passengers plummeting into a dark pit that was blackish purple and filled with swirling mist to resemble the Shadow Realm. "I can't let you have a go yet I'm afraid, we are still testing the hydraulic controller. We had some problems with a bug in the software and it kept getting jammed."

"Oh, that's a pity." Yugi really wanted to have a go.

Spotting the disappointment on Yugi's face he spoke up. "But we can have a go on the Blue Eyes Jet Coaster..." He noticed Kaiba shoot him a 'not now Mokuba' look. "Can't we Seto?"

"Hmph.. I guess," he answered reluctantly.

"Come on Seto, you're coming on too," Mokuba beamed, climbing into the front car and gesturing Yugi to join him. Kaiba sat in the car behind them, on his own, pretending that he would rather be doing something else. Secretly he loved riding the coaster, he just didn't want anyone to know that he did!

It was late afternoon by the time Yugi and Anzu left Kaiba Land. They took the bus home because Grandpa, who had dropped them off that morning, was using the car to take Naomi out on a date.

As they boarded the bus they failed to notice that they were being followed.

Two of Hirutani's gang had been instructed to keep an eye on their movements, so that Hirutani could obtain an idea of their routine. As soon as he was able to regain a little more freedom, he planned to get his revenge on Yugi for the humiliating defeat Yugi had handed him.

* * *

**Please Review.**


	20. Chapter 20

Here's the next chapter. Another old face will show up in this. I hope you enjoy.

I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters.

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Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 20. Grand Opening

Languishing on a sun lounger in the garden of his sister's house, Hirutani relaxed, while enjoying the feeling of a clear head. This enforced exile was much better than he thought it would be.

His sister was at work and the kids were at school, so he had the house to himself.

From his position on the well maintained decking, surrounded by ornamental shrubs, he could look out into Tokyo Bay and watch the shipping weave effortlessly in and out of the many ports that dotted the shoreline, while sipping at his non alcoholic beverage.

He had to admit the last couple of weeks had been tough, but he was over the worst now. The re-hab clinic had forced him to go cold turkey, and the alcohol withdrawal symptoms had been very unpleasant; causing convulsions and vivid hallucinations. But now that he was clean, he intended to stay that way. With a clear head he could mastermind his criminal activities from the comfort of his sisters home, and get his lackeys to do all the dirty work for him.

His phone rang and he answered it immediately. "Koji! Hey man. What's up?"

"_Got the update on Starhead for you boss_."

Hirutani smirked at hearing the pet name they had given to Yugi. His lackey, Koji, told him of the tournament about to take place at Kaiba Land. As a new gang member, Koji was not known to Jonouchi or Yugi, so he had entered the tournament with a view to befriending Yugi. Once he had gained his trust, he planned to get Yugi away from his friends, to a location where Hirutani could get his revenge.

"Good. If this is successful, you will be rewarded Koji. Keep me informed." Hirutani hung up and lit a cigarette. He took a deep satisfying drag of the toxic chemicals and puffed out a perfect smoke ring.

::::::::::::

The opening day of the new look Kaiba Land had arrived.

Yugi and Jonouchi had spent the rest of the week tweaking their decks. For Yugi it had been a difficult decision as to what to include. He wanted a deck that would be very difficult to beat, while at the same time including all the cards that he knew his fans wanted to see. Kaiba had made it clear, that during the exhibition duel, he was to use the God cards, even though, in the event that Kaiba _was_ able to win, his victory would not be officially recognised, because the God cards had recently been added to the list of cards banned from tournament use.

Kaiba had insisted that this little regulation was of no importance to him. What was important to him, was that his victory over Yugi would only give him complete satisfaction if Yugi was duelling with his most powerful cards.

The competition was going to run over two days. The first day would see all forty participants divided into eight groups of five. The top two from each group would then go on to the knock out stage, where the winner of each group would play the second placed player from one of the other groups. The final eight would then be whittled down until a champion was found. The champion would then get a chance to duel Yugi for the title of Japanese Champion. His world title was not up for grabs.

For Yugi, this format was frustrating. He would much rather be included in the main draw and duel his way to the final, but Kaiba had ruled it out, saying that if he were to be unfortunate enough to lose during the knock out rounds, it would ruin the tournament. So Yugi reluctantly conceded. And besides, Kaiba wanted him to mentor the juniors.

In the end Yugi decided on two decks, one which included the God cards; for the exhibition duel against Seto Kaiba. The other; for his duel against the challenger.

::::::::::::

Smirking, Seto Kaiba sat back in his chair and drummed his fingers on the surface of his desk. Trust Yugi to complain about not being able to duel in the rounds, but at least he had been easily persuaded to see reason. Although both he and Kaiba knew that he would be very unlikely to lose, Seto still didn't want to take the risk now that Yugi no longer had his little friend the Pharaoh to help him. He was certain Yugi would beat the eventual champion, and then Seto would beat Yugi in the exhibition, thus proving his superiority over all duellists.

As expected, everything was falling into place perfectly. All the rides were ready and the hotel was fully booked for the next six weeks. He was not anticipating another repeat of the fiasco that had almost ruined the KC Grand Championship in San Francisco.

His secretary's voice suddenly came over the intercom. "Mr. Kaiba. I have Mr. Crawford on the line for you."

"Oh, just great. And here was I thinking how perfectly everything was going."

"He has called three times now Sir. Do you wish to talk with him?" She wanted to tell him that he couldn't keep avoiding Pegasus.

Seto could hear her pleading tone. "Not really..." he sighed. "But I suppose you had better put him through." The line clicked and Seto grimaced at the cheery, sing song voice that erupted on the line.

"_My dear Kaiba Boy! Something tells me you have been avoiding me...Tut tut."_

"Whatever gave you that idea Pegasus?!" Seto retorted. "Some of us have been far too busy working to make social calls."

"_Too busy to talk to an old friend?"_

"I don't have time for idle chit chat. What do you want Pegasus?"

"_Oh come now! Don't be like that," _he continued in a teasing tone, causing Seto to place his fingers in his mouth and pretend to gag. He knew Pegasus couldn't see him, but it made him feel better.

As if in response, Pegasus' voice suddenly became more serious. _"I am on my private jet, on the way to Japan. I thought I would come and check out your little theme park. I am also keen to indulge myself of your hospitality. I understand your hotel has been upgraded and I wish to stay in the new executive penthouse suite. I hear it has some of your state of the art gadgetry. Am I correct?"_

Seto almost growled. The penthouse suite was indeed equipped with the latest in electronic technology. Seto had intended to use it for himself and Mokuba this weekend. "I'm afraid we're fully booked."

"_Oh no no no... what will I do now? I have nowhere to stay!" _He wailed theatrically, causing Seto to remove the phone from his ear for a second.

"Well isn't that just sad," he replied smugly.

"_I have an idea," _he said more seriously. _"Why don't you and Mokuba stay in one of your other suites, and let me use the penthouse! My reason for asking is this. It has been requested that I, as an extremely influential businessman, write a review of your facility. If I am impressed, I will recommend your facility as a venue for corporate entertainment. I could lead to a lucrative contract. Now you wouldn't want to pass up an opportunity like that, would you? What do you say? Thank you would be lovely." _He was obviously relishing in the sound of his own voice.

Seto covered the receiver with his hand. "Grrrr..." He took a breath and replied. "As you wish. I will instruct my staff that you will be staying in the penthouse suite."

"_Bless you Kaiba Boy. You won't regret it. I have to go now as we are about to land. See you shortly." _His sing song voice trailed off as he hung up, leaving a rather disgruntled Seto listening to the dialling tone.

"I hope not," Seto growled to himself. _Great, just bloody great._ _Just when I thought how wonderfully it was all going, that overgrown Girl Scout has to turn up and will no doubt try to steal the attention._

_:::::::::::_

It was a little after nine thirty in the morning. Yugi was getting a little concerned that Jonouchi was late. He should have been here over ten minutes ago.

Suddenly, there was a loud honking sound of air horns from outside the front of the shop, where he and Grandpa were waiting, making them both cringe. Jonouchi had told Yugi that he would drive them in his _new_ car.

"Whatever will the neighbours think!" Sugoroku groaned.

As they left the game store, Sugoroku flipped the sign to closed. It wouldn't hurt to close for just one day.

They were both unprepared for the sight that greeted them.

"Call this a car?!" Yugi shrieked as he tried in vain to tug the passenger door open.

"Oops, sorry Yuge. Door sticks a bit." Jonouchi swivelled round in the drivers seat, heaved his legs up so that his feet were against the door and shoved hard. The door flew open, almost knocking Yugi over. "Its got a full leather interior. Smart eh?"

Yugi grimaced as he lowered himself onto the rather grimy, tatty looking seat. "Ha.. ha, yeah Jou. It could do with a bit of er.." Yugi was unsure what to say. He wanted to be honest, but didn't want to insult Jonouchi's rather beaten up Nissan Pickup truck. It was obviously his pride and joy. "I'm sure it will look really nice once you've had a chance to clean it up a bit." He noticed that Mai was missing. He was just about to ask when Jonouchi spoke.

"Mai decided to make her own way. She refused to be seen in what she called a 'heap of old junk.' Dunno why she doesn't like my new baby!" He patted the dashboard lovingly, causing Yugi to raise his eyebrows in amusement.

"Ugh, if you think I'm getting into this old death trap, you had better think again young man!" Sugoroku exclaimed, opening the rear passenger door and peering in. Oh dear! I don't think I can contort myself into this seat with my bad back," he frowned when he saw how cramped the rear seating compartment was, despite the vehicle looking quite large from the outside.

"What?! I've always wanted one of these Gramps! Sure, I admit she needs a bit of work," Jonouchi stated.

"It's okay Grandpa, you sit in the front." Yugi jumped out and helped his grandfather up into the front part of the cab, before climbing in the back.

Jonouchi revved the engine and it made a rather loud clattering noise. "Bit of TLC and I will have her good as new in no time!" He said pulling away from the kerb. A squeaking sound accompanied the loud clattering.

"Is it supposed to be making that noise?" Yugi enquired nervously.

"Don't fret Yugi. Just needs some new suspension springs, that's all."

"And a new engine by the sounds of it," Sugoroku added.

Despite their reservations, Jonouchi's old banger got them to Kaiba Land safely.

Okay, so where do we need to go?" Jonouchi hoped Yugi would know.

Luckily Yugi did. "This way. I want to see Anzu first, she had to be here early to get ready for the opening extravaganza."

They made their way to the theatre, where the Kaibaman show would normally take place.

"Old moneybags must be so up himself to name a show after himself," Jonouchi observed, as they entered the building.

"Well, when you have his sort of wealth I guess you can do whatever you wish." Suguroku would never be a fan of Seto Kaiba. The way he had behaved towards himself and Yugi in the past was unforgivable in his eyes. He could never understand why Yugi still gave that spiteful young man the time of day.

Kaiba spotted them and approached. "So.. Yugi, you've arrived at last. I wondered what was holding you up.. Now I know." He gave Jonouchi a nasty look. "What are you doing here?"

Jonouchi glared back. "I've come to win your tournament Kaiba, and get a chance to beat Yugi to become Japanese Champion... No offence Yuge."

"Hmph.. Let me see if you are on the list of participants." He ran his finger over the screen of his I-pad and deleted Jonouchi's name. What a shame, I don't see your name on here anywhere. Tough luck," he smirked.

"Why you..." Angered by the fact that Kaiba always tried keep him from competing, he balled his fists and went to step forward, but Yugi held him back.

"Kaiba, Jonouchi paid his entry fee, you should let him take part," Yugi defended.

"I _will _allow you stay and watch your girlfriend duel. Just make sure you keep quiet and stay out of my way."

"Not good enough Kaiba. If you don't let Jonouchi duel in your tournament, then I will pull out of our duel," Yugi threatened.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me."

Yugi's posture and tone reminded Jonuchi of the Pharaoh. While he was proud to see his once timid friend stand up to Kaiba in this way, Jonouchi felt awkward; he didn't want Yugi to spoil the tournament on his behalf. People had paid money to come and see Yugi and Kaiba duel. So he stepped up and placed his hand on Yugi's shoulder. Yugi's body felt tense. "No Yugi! You shouldn't..Not on my behalf."

After a few awkward moments, Kaiba relented. "Very well. Just don't make a fool of yourself, Mutt."

Yugi's shoulders visibly relaxed. "Thank you Kaiba. Jonouchi is a good duelist and he deserves a chance."

"Ooh.. Did we just miss something interesting?" Everyone turned round to see Pegasus approaching with Mai.

"Pegasus!" Both Yugi and Jonouchi gasped at the same time. They certainly were not expecting him to be here.

"Yugi Boy! My my, how you've grown. Quite the dashing young man aren't we now! I'm sure you have broken quite a few young girls hearts."

Yugi's face went bright pink. "Well actually I.."

"That's right, you are dating that pretty little brunette who used to follow you around. Ahh.. young love. Mai sweet Valentine was just updating me on things. How naughty of you, not to have kept in touch. I must say I am a more than a little hurt. How was Egypt? I see you no longer have your puzzle." Pegasus was genuinely upset that no one had contacted him to tell him about the ceremonial duel. He had only heard about it when he had contacted Ishizu at the museum, about making a donation, and also from what Mai had just told him during their conversation.

Yugi glanced at the floor for a moment, feeling a little pang of sadness. It was almost six months since Atem had left for the afterlife but it still hurt to think about it.

Pegasus noticed and even without his millennium eye, he could understand Yugi's feelings. "Not easy huh? It's hard to let loved ones go. I should know," he said wistfully. _Cecilia my love._

"You know nothing Pegasus," Jonouchi's voice held a hint of emotion. "The Pharaoh..Atem, was our friend. He was like a brother to Yugi. We will never forget him. Never!"

Pegasus held his hand up in a humble gesture. "I know Katsuya.. Such loyalty, such passion. You are a good friend to Yugi Boy. I owe my life to Yugi and the Pharaoh. They freed me from the spell that my millennium eye put me under. I was blinded by grief for my dear Cecilia. The evil force hidden within the eye used that to manipulate me for its own gain. God bless the Pharaoh for saving me. I am sure his soul rests in peace, at long last."

"If you have all finished reminiscing about the Pharaoh and his good deeds?!" Kaiba spoke loudly to get their attention. "The show starts in half an hour. Yugi! I need you to come with me. The rest of you... mingle among the other guests, or something. Just make sure the Mutt stays quiet. I don't want to hear any of his little outbursts. Got it?"

:::::::::::::

Every single ticket for the Kaiba Land re-opening and duel extravaganza had been sold. The park was at its capacity and to accommodate the large crowd, the Kaibaman Theatre walls and roof had been retracted to reveal an open air stage- giving it an outdoor stadium feel. It was a feat of modern engineering that Seto Kaiba was proud of, having designed the structure and written the software programme for it himself. Everyone gasped and watched in awe as they were told to stand away from the walls, which started to slide back on themselves and then folded, to provide a perfect backdrop and canopy for the large stage.

Those who had paid for seats, sat down, while the rest formed a semi circular crowd, all craning their necks to see the stage. For those unable to see properly, large flat screen TV's had been positioned in three locations around the park, to broadcast the proceedings.

Loud music boomed out from several speakers, and dancers dressed as duel monsters; among them Anzu as the Dark Magician Girl, moved about the stage.

Yugi watched her appreciatively from his position backstage; he would never look at his DMG card in quite the same way again!

There was a hum of anticipation throughout the audience when a trap door opened up. Eerie swirling smoke, made using dry ice, billowed upwards from the opening. Seto Kaiba stepped onto the small platform and used his remote control to activate the hydraulic platform, which lifted him up through the opening, onto the stage.

The hum erupted into excitable cheering when the smoke cleared, to reveal Seto Kaiba standing majestically, wearing a shimmering silver/blue suit, adorned with metallic trim, which reflected the colour from the spotlights. The dancers moved around him, fighting mock battles.

There was huge flash of light followed by an explosion. The dancers leapt into the air, as they acted out the death throws of monsters being destroyed. Strobe lighting added to the special effects as they cleverly threw themselves into the swirling mist and disappeared, leaving Seto Kaiba standing alone.

When the cheering and clapping subsided Seto Kaiba spoke. "Welcome to Kaiba Land everyone?"

A chorus of cheering caused him to pause until it died down.

"Who's here to duel?"

Another chorus erupted.

"Who wants to meet the King of Games, Yugi Mutou?" Kaiba tried his best to sound respectful. He always hated referring to Yugi as the King, when he felt it should be himself being hailed as King.

An even louder cheer of excitement went up as he gestured towards the back of the stage where Yugi was waiting for his cue.

When he heard the crowd chanting his name, Yugi's legs froze and refused to move as stage fright suddenly gripped him. Anzu gave him a quick kiss and shoved him forward. "You can do it Yugi."

He gulped and stood as tall as he could, striding out to join Kaiba. He lifted his hand and waved to acknowledge the audience.

Among the people eagerly waiting to meet Yugi was a seven year old by called Jaden Yuki. He was too young to compete in the main competition, but had aspirations to one day be as good as his hero. He had even brought his home made cards with him to show to his hero.

Another person also watching with interest was Koji. He didn't quite share Jaden's admiration for the King of Games, but for the sake of Hirutani's plan, he would have to pretend he did.

As soon as Yugi reached his side, Kaiba, sensing Yugi's nerves, shoved the microphone under his nose.

Yugi coughed nervously in an attempt to dislodge the tennis ball that seemed to be lodged in his throat. "H..hello everyone. It's great to see so many of you here today. I wish you all the best of luck in your duels."

A huge cheer went up and Yugi almost burst out laughing when he noticed all the fan girls screaming hysterically in front of the stage. Many were screaming for Kaiba, but most seemed to be screaming for him. It gave him an incredible feeling; it was like being a rock star! He noticed that Kaiba had wisely positioned bouncers at the front of the stage, to stop any of the girls from climbing up and rushing at them. He doubted there would be much left of either of them if those hormonal teenage girls got hold of them!

Taking the microphone back, Seto continued. "Ticket holders will be able to meet Yugi Mutou in the Duel Arena once the tournament gets under way. Now to explain the tournament. You will have all received an e-mail to confirm your participation, with details of the group you are in. You will play one match against each of the other duellists in your group. The top two will advance. There are several locations; as highlighted on the map you have each been given, where you may duel. For example, if you are in group A you must go to the meeting point for group A contestants. Once there, you will be told the order in which you will duel. When all of your duels are complete you will head to the Duel Arena. The cut off time for you to complete your duels is five forty five. I will be announcing the order for tomorrows matches at six o'clock sharp. If you fail to complete all of your duels you will be eliminated. Is that clear?"

Everyone involved in duelling appeared to nod while studying their maps and their phones.

Kaiba continued. "There is a separate tournament in the Duel Arena, for competitors under twelve years of age. Yugi, myself and Pegasus will be there to help any youngsters wishing to learn how to build a deck and form winning strategies... Let the games begin."

With that said, he glanced up to where Mokuba was sitting in the control booth, operating the lighting and special effects and nodded. Mokuba pressed a button, setting off two pyrotechnic explosions. Amidst the explosions, Kaiba turned and left the stage. Yugi quickly followed.

The duellists all hurried to their relevant meeting points.

"What group you in Mai?" Jonouchi enquired.

"Group B. My meeting point is by the Blue Eyes Jet Coaster. What's yours."

"I'm in H. I gotta go to the Castle. See you in the final." He kissed her before running off in the wrong direction, leaving Mai shaking her head.

"Idiot you're going the wrong way," she tried to shout after him, but her voice was lost in the noise around them.

Smirking to himself, Koji headed towards the castle. _Result! I'm in group H with Jonouchi. _It would be a great opportunity to get to know him, and hopefully Yugi.

* * *

**Please review.**


	21. Chapter 21

It has been a couple of weeks since I last updated! I'm afraid I have been sitting on this chapter, procrastinating over what to include and what to take out. I have decided not to go into detail on the duels. They are a pain to write and I don't think I'm very good at writing them. Instead I will just feature snippets of duels. Of course if anyone _does _want me to feature the duels and would like to help me write them, just let me know.

I am afraid I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 21. Tournament. Day 1.

Out of breath and beginning to panic, Jonouchi finally made it to his meeting point. "Sorry I'm late guys, this park is bigger than I thought." The four duelists and the officiator, who luckily for Jonouchi, happened to be Mokuba, rolled their eyes at him.

Once everyone in the group had all shaken hands and introduced themselves, play got under way.

Jonouchi's first opponent was a young guy of nineteen, who introduced himself as Koji. Jonouchi had never met him in any of the tournaments he had played, so was unsure of what to expect.

As they stood facing one another, shuffling each others decks, Koji couldn't believe his luck! Being placed in the same group as Jonouchi would make his job of befriending them much easier.

"Wow, I can't believe I am getting the chance to play you Jonouchi. You and Yugi are my heroes, I started playing because of you," Koji lied.

"No sweat, really?! It's always cool to meet one of my many fans," he beamed. "But I have to warn you, I won't go easy on you."

"I wouldn't expect you to." _Moron, _he thought to himself. "Let me warn you.. I won't be intimidated by your _awesome_ reputation," he grinned, trying to sound genuine.

"Then let me show you just how awesome I am." Jonouchi looked at the cards he had drawn and having no idea what sort of deck Koji duelled with, decided to be cautious. "I play Little Winguard in defence (Atk 1400 Def 1800) and end my turn." He hoped that once he worked out what sort of deck he was up against he could think of a strategy.

It turned out that his opponent was using a Beatdown style deck. Koji played stop defence plus a three star monster, Berserk Gorilla, with 2000 attack on his first turn! Immediately destroying his Little Winguard, and costing him 600 life points. Not the start he had hoped for. But in typical Jonouchi style, he made a comeback. And after a tough but enjoyable battle, managed to win.

"Great duel man." Jonouchi stepped forward and offered his hand. "Hope you can win your remaining duels."

Koji accepted the handshake. "Thanks Jonouchi, you're a great duelist. I'm not in your league. I never really stood a chance of beating you." He had enjoyed their duel and he was beginning to wonder why Hirutani wanted him and Yugi dead.

He had been told by Hirutani, that Jonouchi was a two faced back stabbing bastard, who had turned on him, pushing him off the roof of the warehouse because he was jealous about being second best, and didn't like the fact that Hirutani was seen as the leader of the gang instead him. However, Jonouchi didn't strike him as that type of guy. He seemed open, friendly and pretty decent. In any other circumstance he would be more than happy for them to be friends. "Thanks man, I realise I have a long way to go if I want to reach your level. Do you think you could introduce me to Yugi Mutou? I have always wanted to meet him." _I need to keep focussed on the task I have been given. _Despite liking Jonouchi, he was a member of Hirutani's gang and had to carry out his instructions. Failure to do so would probably cost him a serious beating if he didn't.

"Yeah, course I can. Stick around when we get to the arena, and I'll introduce you." They parted company, to go and face their next opponent.

::::::::::::

The tournament was also going pretty well for Mai. She won her first two matches easily. However, just when she was starting to think that the competition was pretty average, she found herself in a bit of bother, struggling against an opponent she had never even heard of before! He was playing with a deck loaded with annoying trap and spell cards, she was down to a mere 200 life points and was on the verge of giving up, when she imagined hearing Yugi and Jonouchi in her head, saying. _'It's never over until the last card is played. All the time you have life points, you still have a chance.'_

Giving up when the going got tough had been one of her weak points in the past, but lessons she had learned from her friends had taught her to dig deep and not give up so easily.

This was her last chance. She drew a card and smiled. "I let you get the upper hand, well this card will change all that. I play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two more cards cards." _Come on, a bit of Jonouchi's luck and Yugi's faith in the Cards would be good right now. _She smirked when she saw what she had drawn. "I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Harpie Lady Sisters. Then I play Triangle Ecstasy Spark, which boosts my Harpie's attack to 2700 for this turn. It will also prevent you from activating any more of your annoying traps. Now go my Harpie Lady Sisters, destroy his Des Volstgalph with 2200 Atk.

Her opponent groaned and placed his monster in his graveyard.

"I'm not done yet," Mai continued. "Cyber Harpie Lady, finish this duel." With its 1800 attack, Cyber Harpie Lady was able to take the rest of her opponents life points. Feeling rather relieved, Mai grinned. "You duelled well, I have not been given that much trouble in quite a while."

"Thanks, I really enjoyed our duel. For one moment there I thought I was actually going to beat you..." He giggled nervously. "Wow, to think that I almost beat the great Mai Kujaku."

Mai was a little irked by his comment, and even more annoyed that he was staring at her breasts rather than looking her in the eye. Folding her arms in annoyance she snapped. "When you have finished gawking at me, I would like to go and find my next opponent!"

His face flushed as he quickly looked away. Mai smirked and shook her head as she walked away. _Guys can be so shallow sometimes, _she mused.

All she needed to do now, was win her final match and she would finish top of her group.

::::::::::::

As the duels got under way, Seto Kaiba scrolled through the data on his I-pad and rolled his eyes. With a smirk, he turned to Yugi. "Looks like your idiot friend was late for his first duel Yugi."

"What?! No way." Yugi gasped and looked up at Kaiba questioningly.

"Don't worry.. It would seem they waited for him! You should be thankful that Mokuba is refereeing the main tournament, otherwise he might have found himself disqualified."

Yugi breathed a silent sigh of relief. _Jonouchi! Don't mess this up. _"He's there now though, isn't he?!"

"Yes, he is just starting his first duel. If you want, I will keep you informed."

Yugi nodded in response. "Thanks Kaiba."

"In the meantime we need to get over to the Duel Arena." Kaiba turned to Pegasus "I presume you also want to come with us?"

"Why of course, Kaiba Boy. Lead the way. I'm itching to see your wonderful new arena. I also wish to talk to you about improvements I am implementing to the holographic information contained within the cards. I believe it will make the images of the monsters far sharper and eliminate the flickering that sometimes occurs."

Kaiba nodded. "That would be good. I suggest we discuss your ideas and how it integrates with the latest software upgrades I have made to my duel disk system over dinner this evening. Seven thirty sharp, in my private dining rooms."

"Excellent!" Pegasus grinned.

As they proceeded to the Duel Arena, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by fan girls desperate to touch Yugi and Seto, or maybe even grab a kiss from one of their heart throbs. Security guards had to quickly intervene to them to get them to safety.

Pegasus found it highly amusing. "What lucky boys we are, but alas, I don't think any of them are interested in _me!" _He joked, as they were jostled and tugged. Yugi and Seto were a little afraid and didn't quite share his amusement with the situation, so they both glared at him.

"What's so lucky about being pestered by pre pubescent, hormone riddled girls?!" Seto scowled.

For once, Yugi was inclined to agree with one of Kaiba's statements.

Safely inside the arena, an annoyed Seto turned to Rowland. "Who let those hysterical girls in?"

"I. I.. apologise Mr. Kaiba, but tickets were on sale to the public. We weren't to know.."

"Hmph.. Never mind. Just make sure they don't get into the arena and become a nuisance. I don't want my tournament ruined, is that clear?"

"Yes Sir." Roland, who had been appointed head of security went to organise his security team.

"Oh, Kaiba Boy, you really should lighten up," Pegasus chided. "You should be flattered that young girls find you so attractive. You are quite the catch for some lucky young lady."

"Yes, well in my experience, they are more interested in my money. And anyway, I don't have time for all that romantic nonsense. I'm a busy man." He pushed past Pegasus, who rolled his one good eye at Yugi and whispered too him.

"He most definitely needs a woman in his life."

It prompted Yugi to remember a comment Jonouchi had also made- that Kaiba needed to get laid. He had to place his hand over his face to stop himself laughing too loudly as he and Pegasus followed Kaiba onto a raised platform, where they would _officially _be meeting their young fans; to pose for photographs and sign autographs.

Among the young duellists desperate to meet his idols, was Jaden. Unable to contain his excitement, he had disobeyed his mother and run off while she went to the toilet. He stood on his own among the crowd, bouncing excitedly up and down as he waited, clutching his home made card tightly in his hands. He couldn't wait to show them the card he had made. Unfortunately he was stuck at the back and no one would let him push his way through. It was looking like he wouldn't get his chance before the duelling started in ten minutes.

Panicking, his mother tried to push her way through the crowd, trying to find him, but to no avail. _Why oh why did he have to run off? I take one day off work to take him out and this is what I get for my trouble!_ "Hey, woman. Wait your turn." A rather large aggressive man, with a small boy holding tightly onto his hand, barred her way.

"I've lost my son. Seven years old, messy brown hair, red tee shirt. Have you seen him?"

"No! I haven't seen your son. Now get to the back and stop pushing in."

It upset her that people were being so aggressive. It seemed they were far to obsessed with meeting those two young men standing on the stage. They didn't seem to care about her being separated from her son.

Now almost in tears with worry and frustration, she spotted a security guard and decided to ask for help. "Please Sir. I have lost my son. He is here to duel, but he was so keen to meet Yugi Mutou and Seto Kaiba that he ran off and I can't find him anywhere. He's only small, but is so full of energy that he can be a bit of a handful sometimes.." She was waffling and sounding a little hysterical.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down Mrs...What's your son's name?"

"Mrs Yuki. My son's name is Jaden. I know he is here somewhere, but there are too many people."

"Okay, calm down Mrs. Yuki," Roland replied. "Follow me?" He took her through a *no access to public* sign that lead around the back to where Seto Kaiba was standing on a small stage with Yugi and Pegasus, greeting fans. He knew they had a microphone set up for making announcements. "Excuse me Mr Kaiba?"

"What is it Roland? I'm rather busy."

"This woman has lost her son. I wondered if you could make an announcement."

"Okay. What is your sons name?" He asked.

Still trying to wriggle his way through the crowd, Jaden suddenly heard his name called out over the arena's speaker system- by non other than Seto Kaiba! "That's me! That's me!" He jumped up and down in an effort to draw attention to himself. He wasn't too far from the small stage now.

A few people around him tutted and hissed in annoyance at being jostled by him jumping up and down and shouting. He suddenly found himself being grabbed by the arm, by a burly security guard, lifted up the steps and onto the stage. His jaw flapped and the usually talkative little boy found himself speechless in front of his Mother, Pegasus and two of his heroes, Yugi Mutou and Seto Kaiba.

"Oh, Jaden! Thank goodness you're safe! Don't you dare run off like that again. Do you hear me young man?!" He felt his face flush with humiliation when she swept him into her arms in front of his heroes and the whole audience.

"Mum...," he groaned. _This was is so not cool! _

However, after a moment he realised something. While being hugged and scolded by your mother in front of your heroes was not cool, it did mean that he had skipped to the front of the queue, and had gained their attention. He peeped out from his mothers arms with a slightly flushed face, and grinned. "Hi guys!" He managed to raise an arm and give a little wave.

Kaiba rolled his eyes and smirked in amusement, while Yugi smiled and waved back.

"Hello young Jaden," Pegasus sang, also waving.

Wriggling free of his mother's embrace, he moved to stand in front of his idols and beamed up at them, holding out his now crumpled home made card. "I made my own cards," he stated proudly.

While Yugi and Seto were unsure what to say, Pegasus, who was far more at ease in dealing with children, bent down to look at the card. "Ooh, how very clever of you young Jaden. What is it called?"

"Her name is Yubel. She is _real_ powerful. She is going to help me win today," he stated proudly.

"I'm sure she is," Pegasus laughed, humouring him somewhat. "I'll tell you what. If you win today, I will make her into a _real _card, so that she can duel alongside you. How about that?"

Jaden's eyes went wide with excitement. "Wow! Yeah.. cool," he grinned.

"What do you say to Mr. Pegasus, Jaden?" His mother prompted.

"Er.. Oh yeah! Thank you Mr. Pegasus."

"Oh..." Pegasus gushed, "no need to thank me. And just Pegasus will do. Now, Promise me you will do your best to try and win?"

"Promise." He nodded furiously, as his mother led him off stage and towards the duelling tables, where the junior tournament was about to begin.

"Good luck Jaden," Yugi added, as the young boy left the stage. Turning to Pegasus and Seto he asked. "Did you two sense the aura coming from that boy?"

"Yes," Pegasus nodded, "I did. I believe he has a connection to the monsters in his cards."

Although he had sensed it too, Kaiba would never admit it. "If you two could just hear yourselves. Connection with his monsters. Pffth..." He rolled his eyes dismissively.

"And you don't feel the same connection to your Blue Eyes, Kaiba Boy?" Pegasus challenged.

"That's different. You will be telling me he can talk to them next!"

"Well actually," Yugi added. "I wouldn't be surprised if he could!"

"Now you're just being ridiculous Yugi! If you can both stop talking mumbo jumbo, I would like to get the tournament under way before we run out of time." Shaking his head he picked up the microphone and started to call out the order of play for the junior competitors.

:::::::::::

Yugi really enjoyed his afternoon spent mentoring the children. He was amazed at how enthusiastic they all were. They were hanging on to his every word; listening intently to any advice he was giving on how to improve their decks, and how to get the best out of their existing decks. There was some budding talent to watch out for in the future!

The children were also keen to know about Yugi himself. Questions such as- when did he start playing Duel Monsters? What was it like growing up in a game shop? And what other games did he play? It made Yugi feel good that they were interested in him as a person. In the past he had been ignored by most of his peers, who viewed him as the quiet kid with weird hair, who seldom spoke to anyone and played games by himself a lot. He wished he could have been a little less shy and a little more outgoing when he was younger. He had always wanted to ask the other kids to play the games with him, but most of the time he just couldn't seem to pluck up the courage.

He was not at all surprised when the Young boy called Jaden won the junior competition. Yugi even suspected that he would probably give some of the senior duelists a run for their money!

"So Jaden. What are your plans for the future?" Seto Kaiba asked as he handed Jaden his trophy. "Are you going to keep playing Duel Monsters?" He stuck the microphone under Jaden's nose and awaited his reply.

"You bet I am. One day, I'm gonna be the King of Games," he blurted, making Yugi's eyebrows shoot up in mild surprise. Although he reasoned that he shouldn't be too surprised that these youngsters wanted to emulate his success.

"Well, well Yugi," Seto said smugly. "Looks like you and I have some competition. You had better watch out over the next few years." He handed Yugi the microphone so that he could respond.

Yugi felt like he had been put on the spot, but there was no time to be embarrassed. "I think we had both better watch out Kaiba. From what I have seen today, there are some very talented young duelists in this room. I am sure some of you will be very successful in the years to come. And I hope I _do _get the opportunity to duel some of you in the future." There was a round of clapping and cheering and he quickly handed the microphone back to Kaiba.

"Very good speech Yugi," Kaiba growled through gritted teeth. If things went to plan _he _would be called the King of Games after this evening.

As Seto Kaiba watched Jaden walk off the stage clutching his trophy and into his proud mother's arms, a new idea was beginning to formulate in his mind. He wondered if a school that would specialise in helping students develop their dueling skills, while at the same time delivering a first class education would be viable. He decided to run the idea past Pegasus later at their meeting, as he had some previous experience with running schools in America.

As promised Pegasus was true to his word. He ushered Jaden and his mother into a meeting room to discuss the special card he had promised to make. With Jaden's input he drew a sketch of how Yubel would look on the card and suggested the attributes the finished card should have.

"You will receive the card by special delivery, within one week," he promised the very excited boy and his mother. "Like Yugi's God cards, It will be unique. So you must look after it and guard it with you life. Is that clear?"

Jaden's mother laughed. "He will probably sleep with it under his pillow!"

"Mum!" She was embarrassing him again. Although he knew she was right. He _would _sleep with the card under his pillow!

::::::::::::

By late afternoon, duelists from the senior tournament had all arrived at the arena. Among them Mai and Jonouchi, who, having both topped their respective groups, arrived with Suguroku.

"How did it go?" Yugi asked, keen to find out how they had both fared.

"Yeah, blitzed it man. Top of the pile. Lookin forward to duelling you once I win the final Yuge," Jonouchi boasted.

"You'll be lucky!" Mai nudged him. "Because I'm gonna be the champion and earn that honour."

"What! No way Mai. You got no chance of beating me!" He retaliated.

"Yeah, You should stop boasting. I'm going to win, so you had better get used to being second best to yours truly."

"Second best?! I got through to more semi finals than you have!"

"Yeah and that's as far as you ever get, because..."

The pair of them carried on bickering while Yugi and his grandfather watched on with amused expressions.

"Oh dear! Do I detect a domestic dispute?" Sugoroku joked.

Yugi nodded. "Do you think we should intervene Grandpa?"

"No, I think we should leave them to it. Maybe the argument will be resolved when neither of them get through!"

Having heard the noise, Kaiba came stomping over. "Yugi! If you don't stop those two idiots making a scene, I will disqualify them both. Got that?"

"You could ask them to stop yourself, Kaiba," Yugi suggested.

"I am sorely tempted to just walk over and bang their thick heads together!" Kaiba replied.

Anzu suddenly appeared. "Well don't just stand there talking about it, do it?" Shaking her head and tut tutting at the three of them for not intervening and stopping the argument, she marched over and forced her way between Mai and Jonouchi. "Would you two just listen to yourselves? You are like a couple of bratty children. Who's to say either of you will even get past the next round? In fact Kaiba's about to disqualify you if you don't stop squabbling."

That comment shut them both up. Neither had even thought about the possibility of losing, or that they might get thrown out of the tournament.

Yugi walked over to Anzu and placed his arm around her waist. "Hey! You know you're beautiful when you are angry." He laughed when she rolled her eyes at him. "How did your afternoon go?" He added.

She leant in and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "It went really well. Not everyone is interested in watching the duels, so we had a packed house. We have another show at seven thirty. Will you have time to come and watch?"

"Yeah, I think so." Yugi looked at Kaiba. "Have all the duels finished for today?"

Kaiba nodded. "The children have finished their tournament. I am just going to make an announcement and do the draw for tomorrow. Then you're free to go." He turned and stepped up onto the raised platform in front of the dueling field. "Listen up everyone!"

Gradually, a hush came over the arena, as people ceased their chattering.

"I hope all of you enjoyed yourselves today. In a moment I will make the draw for tomorrow's match ups. The first placed duelist from each group will play the second placed person from one of the other groups. Those of you who did not make it through are welcome to attend tomorrow and watch the duels. In the meantime please feel free to stay and have some fun. The rides are open until 11pm, as are the many excellent restaurants. If you have not already, I would highly recommend you see the Kaibaman and Dance Spectacular, which is at seven thirty this evening."

As soon as the draw was made, Jonouchi felt his tummy growl. "I'm starving. How about we all go and get a burger?"

"Don't you want to know more about your next opponent?" Anzu wondered.

Jonouchi shrugged. "Nah! Whoever it is, I will beat em, so it doesn't matter."

"Even so Jonouchi, it would be a good idea for you to find out a little bit about them! So you know what type of deck they use and their strategy. After all, you can bet your deck they will be researching how to beat _you!_" Yugi warned him.

"My opponent was in your group today Jonouchi, so I have a bit of an advantage since you know how to beat him," Mai said.

"Well I watched quite a few of the duels today," Sugoroku told him. "I can tell you that your opponent uses an insect type deck, fairly similar to that horrid little pest Haga."

Jonouchi shuddered at the mention of that irritating little bug. "Is he better than Haga?" Jonouchi asked.

Sugoroku scratched his beard. "It is difficult to say. Probably better, since Haga was always trying to cheat. And we all know cheaters never prosper."

"I would guess he is, Haga is a washed up has been," Yugi added with a hint of venom. He was usually quite forgiving but he and Atem had never gotten over how that little worm had behaved in the past. "Kaiba refused him entry into this tournament because his ranking is too low. He chose this guy because he has a higher ranking and is unlikely to cheat. You should be careful and bide your time Jonouchi. Don't make any rash moves or you could end up in trouble," Yugi explained.

"Don't worry about me Yugi. I promise you, I will win. Now lets go eat before I die of starvation."

Jonouchi spotted Koji hovering nearby, anxiously waiting to be introduced to Yugi. "Oh guys, I hope you don't mind." He gestured to Koji to come over to their group. "This is Koji. I met him dueling today. He didn't make it through to the next round but I promised to introduce him to ya Yugi."

"Hi Koji." Yugi offered a handshake.

To be polite, Koji bowed and accepted. He found that Yugi had a firm, sincere handshake and a friendly demeanour; it almost made him feel guilty about his real purpose for befriending them.

He swallowed as he tried to keep his composure and the facade going. "I was going to get a burger as well. Do you mind if I join you? I'm not from Domino, so I'm kinda on my own."

"Yeah, of course," Yugi smiled. "This is my girlfriend Anzu, she is dancing in the show later."

"And I'm Mai Kujaku." Mai offered her hand and Koji took it smiling saucily at her.

"Nice to meet you Mai. I have seen you duel. You're pretty amazing," he said flirtatiously.

Mai suddenly felt a possessive arm drape round her. In the past she would push a guy off and warn him that she was not his to possess. But now however, it made her feel cherished.

"Oh! Sorry dude. I didn't know you two.. were like, an item." _Shit, I could have blown my chance of making friends with them._

"That's okay man. You weren't to know we were together." Jonouchi grinned. "I just assumed everyone knew. C'mon, them burgers is waiting for us."

"Guys, I don't think I have time," Anzu told them. "I need to go and prepare for the show." She hugged Yugi and kissed him. "Promise me you will come and watch?"

"You bet we will." He hugged her back. "We won't take too long to get our food. See you later." He gave her another good luck kiss.

As soon as they got to the burger bar, Koji excused himself to go to the gents, so that he could send a text message to Hirutani. **Result. Infiltrated their group. They don't suspect. Having a burger with them. **

Upon receiving the message, Hirutani smiled. It was going to plan. _Just you wait Mutou! Jonouchi! I will get you back for the humiliation you caused me._

* * *

**_I hope that was okay. Please let me know? As like I say, I have been a bit unsure about this chapter._**


	22. Chapter 22

Today is my birthday. So I thought a good way to celebrate would be to post the next chapter! I have put a few notes at the end of this and I would love to hear your thoughts on who should go through.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 22. Tournament. Part 2.

As soon as they reached the restaurant, the aroma of flame grilled quarter pounders greeted them, making them all salivate. Yugi felt his tummy rumble and realised that he had hardly eaten anything all day!

Almost drooling, Jonouchi inhaled deeply. "Man them burgers smell good."

"Way to state the obvious Jonouchi," Yugi replied jokingly.

The head waiter spotted Yugi in the line of people waiting to be seated and sent a waitress over with instructions to prioritise them.

"Mr. Mutou.. Sir! If you and your friends would like to follow me?" She bowed humbly.

Yugi's face went pink. "But..but we can't jump the queue! What about the other customers?"

"We have been told that you are to be given the same privileges as Mr. Kaiba. Please.. Sir?!" She gestured for them to follow her to a table which was secluded from public view, so that they wouldn't been seen and pestered by fans. It was a table that Kaiba kept reserved for himself and Mokuba, or for important visitors that wanted to eat there.

Noticing that Yugi was still hesitating, Jonouchi stepped forward. "Well, as a celebrity myself, I am happy to accept your hospitality. Lead me to my table."

Yugi glanced at Mai and cringed, but Mai just shrugged. "If people want to treat you like royalty Yugi, let them."

"Yes Yugi," Koji added. "So many young people see you as a superstar. I only took up duelling after I watched your Battle City duels on live stream. Enjoy the perks, I know I would."

"Well, I guess it can't hurt." Yugi still felt awkward at the special treatment he was receiving, but decided to relax and do as his friends suggested, and enjoy the privileges. He shrugged and let the waitress show them to the table, which had been reserved with a sign saying - Mr. Mutou and Guests.

Yugi smiled and raised an eyebrow. "How did you know we would come here?" He asked the waitress.

"Mr. Kaiba called five minutes ago and said you were on your way and to make sure that you were given his private table immediately."

"Oh!" Was all Yugi could say.

"Man, Kaiba never ceases with the surprises. Well I ain't complaining," Jonouchi grinned.

"Yes, even I have to admit I'm grateful. It seems he has been considerate.. for once!" Sugoroku said, making himself comfortable in the faux leather seating contained within the booth. "My poor old bones are aching like mad from standing all day. I don't think I could have stood in that queue for a moment longer."

The waitress took their order and left.

Yugi checked his watch and was relived when their food arrived quickly. "You know, it's a good thing we _did_ get seated quickly. We might have missed the start of Anzu's show otherwise." He took a big bite of his American style quarter pounder with bacon and cheese; nodding his approval at how good it tasted.

As if reading his mind, Jonouchi mumbled with his mouth full of food. "Mmmm, dis is.. best (chomp chomp) burger I ever.. tasted."

Mai elbowed him. "How many times have I had to tell you about talking with your mouth full?"

"He never learns. He reminds me of a macaque," Sugoroku laughed jokingly.

"Who you calling (Chomp) a (chomp) monkey?!" A piece of burger fell out of Jonouchi's mouth and landed in his lap. "Oops." Not wanting to waste the precious morsel, he picked it up the half chewed food and popped it back in his mouth, shrugging when everyone grimaced at the sight.

Koji gave a nervous little smile and went very quiet as he ate his burger. Listening to them chatting and having fun was making him feel guilty. He felt terrible for deceiving them like this. They had willingly accepted him into their little group, even though they hardly knew him, and were treating him as a friend. Despite being well known as the King of Games, Yugi was not arrogant or demanding; just a regular teenager and a really nice, friendly guy. He had also been led to believe that Jonouchi was a loud mouthed, back stabbing thug with a foul temper. He was nothing of the sort! He was always making everyone laugh with his wise cracks and daft behaviour. But at the same time, seemed fiercely loyal to those he was close to. He was the type of guy you would definitely want in your corner.

Having noticed his silence and thinking it was due to feeling awkward for not knowing them very well, Yugi decided to bring him into the conversation. "You mentioned you were not from Domino Koji. Where do you live?"

"Oh!" He snapped out of his thoughts. "I'm from Niigata." It was a small lie, he had been born there but his parents had moved to Domino three years ago. Unfortunately, his parents had sent him to Rintama High to finish school. Not knowing anyone and feeling lost, he had sort of drifted into the clutches of Hirutani and his gang. To gain status he had become a member. "I'm staying here for a few days. Who knows, I might even decide to stick around and find a summer a job."

"Well, you are welcome to hang around with us," Yugi told him. "We can show you some of the cool places we like to hang out."

"Really! Yeah, thanks Yugi, I would like that very much." He felt as though he were stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand he was happy to befriend them; he genuinely liked them. On the other, he had no choice but to follow Hirutani's orders, or wind up in the hospital minus his kneecaps! It just didn't seem fair. He wondered if becoming friends with Yugi and Jonouchi would give him a way to wriggle out of his commitment to Hirutani's gang. Maybe they would protect him? But it would mean telling the truth about his reasons for making friends with them. They might not be willing to forgive him, leaving him on his own and in an even worse situation than he was in now!

::::::::::::

**Day 2.**

The following morning, Honda and Ryou both had the day off work and were able to join them for the second day of the tournament.

"Have either of you thought about what might happen if one you make it all the way through to duel Yugi?" Honda asked Mai and Jonouchi.

"I'm excited about the chance to duel Yugi again," Mai stated. "Yugi was at odds with himself during our first duel, so I have always disregarded it somewhat. It will be nice to duel each other with no lives at stake either. I am a far better duelist than I was back then, and I am sure Yugi is too." She looked at Yugi with a serious expression. "So I can guarantee you a really tough match Yugi."

"I look forward to it Mai," Yugi smiled. "I used to worry about dueling without the Other Me there to help, but now I am excited that I have the chance to show everyone my own dueling skills." He patted his chest with a slightly far away look in his eyes. "Although, I still hold him deep in here. So he will never be completely gone."

Anzu laced her arm through his and leaned into him affectionately. "A piece of him is in all our hearts Yugi," she almost whispered.

He looked at her and gently placed his hand over hers. "I know."

"Yeah, I bet he is watching over all of us feeling proud," Jonouchi added, leaning in between them and throwing his arms over their shoulders. "You and Atem taught me how to be a true duelist. I know I never beat ya before Yugi, but I have a feeling that this might just be my lucky day! So ya better watch out!" He added confidently.

He went to ruffle Yugi's hair, but Yugi managed to duck out of the way. "Ha ha.. You can certainly _try! _But you need more than luck to beat me!" He warned his friend.

"I wouldn't get cocky if I were you," Mai pouted. "We both know I'm the one who will be dueling Yugi."

"They both have to get through the next round first," Ryou said quietly to Sugoroku, Honda and Koji, in the hope that neither Mai nor Jonouchi would hear. Unfortunately they did.

"Are you implying we won't win our next duels?" Mai demanded.

"N... no that is not what.. I think. It's just.. well..." Ryou's face went pink as he stumbled for the right words to quell the situation.

"I think what Bakura is trying to say.. is that you should concentrate on one match at a time," Yugi reasoned.

"Yes, thank you Yugi. That is exactly what I was trying to say. The duels will get tougher, so you need to work out how to beat your first opponent before looking ahead to the next."

"Yeah, good thinking Kura. Let's go and get something to eat, I'm starving!" Jonouchi looked longingly in the direction of the noodle bar. He suddenly had a desire for his favourite snack- beef ramen.

"But you only just ate breakfast!" Anzu knew he liked his food, but was horrified at just _how _gluttonous he could be. He had eaten a huge breakfast at her house this morning and couldn't possibly be hungry!

"We don't have time." Mai grabbed his arm. "We need to get over to the Duel Arena."

"Aww Mai.. Please... The smell of them juicy noodles is driving my taste buds crazy."

"Jonouchi! Your duel is in fifteen minutes." Even Yugi was getting exasperated with him. "You don't have time."

"If you win, we will buy you a bowl of noodles. Okay?" Anzu promised.

"Deal. Woo... I'm gonna go win me a bowl of beef ramen." Without warning, he took off in the direction of the Duel Arena, leaving his friends all standing there.

"Man, how he ever manages to focus long enough to win duels is beyond me!" Honda shook his head in bewilderment.

"And he dropped his pass," Anzu said, bending down to pick up the small credit card sized pass that allowed them access into all areas of the park.

They caught up with Jonouchi outside the duel arena, he was frantically searching for his pass card so that he could get in.

Smirking, Anzu waved it in front of him. "Looking for this?"

He snatched it from her. "Where did you...?"

Having been kept awake for much of the night due to his hyperactivity, Mai was feeling a little frayed. "In your haste you dropped it you moron." She snapped, a little more tersely than intended and cutting him off in mid sentence.

Honda sensed the friction and guessed she was finding him irritating at the moment. Jonouchi could be like a bull in a china shop when he was nervous or excited. "Yeah, why don't you just calm down man.. I know you're excited and on edge, but unless you cool it you will end up losing in the first round."

"Honda's right Jonouchi." Yugi patted his friend on the back. "I have not seen you this hyper in ages. Slow down a bit."

Both Anzu and Mai agreed that he had definitely overdosed on carbohydrates this morning!

::::::::::::

The eight first round duels would all take place simultaneously around the park, which meant that they were unable to support both Mai and Jonouchi at the same time. It was decided that Yugi, Koji and Honda would support Jonouchi, while Anzu, Ryou and Sugoroku would support Mai.

Both were determined to win their matches so that they could play each other in the quarter final.

A slightly awkward tension hung in the air between them as they hugged and wished each other good luck.

"Don't you dare lose and spoil our date in the next round," Mai winked.

"I don't intend to. Promise me, you will win too? And remember to focus and not think about dueling me next."

"Do you take me for some kind of amateur? I'm a true duelist remember! I concentrate on one match at a time."

"Yeah, I know. Was just trying to break the tension." He kissed her on the nose playfully. "Good luck okay?"

"And you." She smiled and caressed his cheek. "Let's kick some duelist butt then kiddo!"

"You betcha!" Jonouchi flashed her a big lopsided grin and watched as she turned and walked away.

"Right Yugi, Let's go and find my opponent. Which way is it?" He spun round looking for a sign post.

"This way Jonouchi!" Yugi gestured to where they needed to go. They arrived at the Blue Eyes Jet Coaster with five five minutes to spare. His opponent was already waiting.

His opponent was tall and lanky and had his dark hair spiked up to look like antennae. He went by the name of Mantis. Jonouchi thought that the horns his hair had been sculpted into made him look more like a dung beetle.

In one way he was glad to be dueling against insects, because he had beaten Haga's insect deck, and knew roughly what to expect. However, he still needed to be careful, insect decks could be tricky.

Unlike Haga, this opponent was not a creepy little moron and didn't try to cheat. The duel was tough and was going blow for blow, with neither duelist able to take full control.

Just when Jonouchi thought he was going to get the upper hand by playing his Red Eyes Black Dragon, Mantis played Insect Neglect. All he had to do was remove one insect card from his graveyard in order to prevent Jonouchi from attacking- and he had plenty of low level insects in his graveyard. Jonouchi was forced to end his turn.

His opponent then managed to get Ultimate Insect LV7 on the field with 2600 attack points. Its special effect also reduced Jonouchi's Red Eyes Black Dragon's attack by a further 700, leaving it with only 1800 attack. He only had 900 life points left and it was his opponents turn to attack.

"That idiot's going to lose if he doesn't do something soon," Honda growled as Jonouchi's life points went down to 100 and his dragon went into the graveyard.

"Come on Jonouchi! You can still do it!" Yugi shouted.

"Things don't look good, those bugs are swarming all over the field!" Koju remarked. "How can he win this Yugi?"

"He does have cards in his deck that can help him, he just needs to draw he right card," Yugi replied quietly.

It was now Jonouchi's turn to draw. Yugi was silently urging him on. If he didn't draw a decent card it could all be over.

The only card Jonouchi had left in his hand was Salamandra, which was useless at the moment, and nothing on his side of the field. He needed a good draw. He heaved a sigh of relief when he drew Pot of Greed.

"Me he, I'm gonna win this on the next turn," he gloated in mock confidence, which belied the worry he was really feeling. "I play Pot of Greed." He drew two new cards; Dark Fire Soldier #1 with 1700atk/1150def and Scapegoat. The cogs in his brain started to turn as he worked out his options. "Okay, I play Dark Fire Soldier #1 and then I will equip him with Salamandra to increase his attack to 2400. Your insect reduces him back down to 1700 and since you will use your Insect Neglect to stop me attacking anyway. I will end my turn."

"Oh no! He left his Soldier in attack! Why would he do that?" Koju looked at Yugi.

"Because he has a plan.. I hope!" Even though Jonouchi was a much better duelist these days, Yugi still got nervous when Jonouchi left his cards vulnerable.

Believing the duel won, Jonouchi's opponent called his attack. "Ultimate Insect attack his Soldier and end this duel!"

"You haven't won this yet! I play Scapegoat." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. He had bought himself some time.

On the next turn, his opponent equipped his Ultimate Insect LV7 with Laser Canon Armour, increasing its attack points by 300, giving it a total attack of 2900. He destroyed another Scapegoat.

Jonouchi drew the spell card Heavy Storm and used it to destroy all the spell and trap cards on the field. He lost his Salamandra but it also meant that he got rid of his opponents Threatening Roar and Laser Canon Armour.

His opponent played Skull-Mark Lady Bug with 500 atk/1500 def and destroyed Jonouchi's two remaining Scapegoats. "On the next turn it is all over Jonouchi."

"It's not over till the fat lady sings." Jonouchi prepared to draw. It was his last chance. "Yeah! Time Wizard." It was a risky card to play, but right now he was out of options.

"Come on man," Honda growled. "Call it right."

"What does that card do Yugi?" Koji had heard of the card, but was unfamiliar with it.

"Once per turn you can flip a coin and call it, if you get it right your opponents monsters are destroyed. If you get it wrong your own monsters are destroyed and you take damage equal to half their attack. In other words, if he gets it wrong he will lose." Yugi crossed his fingers and willed him not to lose.

"Oh! Risky then!" He felt silly for stating the obvious, and he also found himself feeling nervous for Jonouchi. "I won't have any fingernails left at this rate!"

"Don't worry, I have faith in him," Yugi replied, crossing his fingers nervously. "C'mon.. you can do it," he growled.

"Heads I win tales you lose." Jonouchi flipped and everyone held their breath... "Yeah, heads it is! You had better start praying.. Mantis, coz this duel is nearly over."

Having lost his best card, Mantis grimaced and placed both his cards in the graveyard "When Skull-Mark Lady Bug goes to the graveyard, I can increase my Life points by 1000." His life points went up to 2200.

"I'm not finished with my battle phase yet," Jonouchi added. "Your life points are now wide open. Darkfire Soldier, attack him directly. Time Wizard, finish him off." Darkfire Soldier attacked Mantis' life points and they went down to 500. Time Wizard's attack of 500 was enough to take to take remainder of Mantis' life points to zero.

Jonouchi heaved a sigh of relief and punched the air in triumph. Having once again relied on luck, he was through to the next round, where he would meet Mai if she was victorious in her own match.

He was in such a hurry to go and find her that he almost forgot to acknowledge the valiant efforts of his opponent. He turned to leave just as Mantis stepped forward to offer him a hand shake and had to check himself. "Sorry man! I didn't mean to be rude. " He quickly accepted the handshake.

"Nah, that's okay." Mantis dismissed the apology. "It was an awesome duel Jonouchi. I really thought I had you beat until you pulled that final move. It took some nerve to risk everything on the flip of a coin!" Mantis was smiling despite having just lost.

"Yeah, It could have gone either way, but you left me no option, I had to take a gamble. Lucky for me, it paid off."

His friends approached to congratulate him.

"Man..talk about leaving it to luck! Do you always have to scare us like that?" Honda clamped his friend on the back.

Jonouchi shrugged. "Wha d ya mean luck! That was pure skill man.." Everyone laughed. Wasn't he just admitting to being lucky a moment ago?

"If luck is a skill, then you have a hell of a lot of it Jonouchi," Yugi laughed. "Come on, let's see if Mai has finished her duel."

"Have you heard anything from Anzu yet Yugi?"

"No.." Yugi shook his head. "I will message her."

While Yugi was sending his text message Jonouchi was looking round, unsure where the mono rail depot was. "Erm.. which way is it?"

"That way." Honda pointed at a sign.

"Do you mind if I come too?" Mantis asked. "Oh! And my real name is Manabu."

"Manabu eh! Of course we don't mind," Jonouchi grinned.

The park was crowded, so it took them several minutes to get to the mono rail depot. They were almost there when Yugi's phone buzzed with the message from Anzu that the duel was still going on and that Mai had the advantage. "Mai's in the lead, if we hurry we can see the end of the duel," he said, picking up the pace while trying not to bump into anyone.

They arrived just in time to see a triumphant Mai emerge from the substantial crowd that had been watching.

"Hey boys! What kept you?" She looked between Jonouchi and Manabu. "So, which one of you two will be my next opponent?"

The next round was scheduled to take place in half an hour, so they decided to get some refreshments first.

"I promised you a bowl of noodles Jonouchi," Anzu said, congratulating him for his win.

"Nah, don't worry about it. If you guys don't mind, I would like to have some time alone with Mai."

When everyone, including Mai looked at him questioningly, he elaborated. "It's nothing to worry about. I just wanted us to have some quiet time together, to talk about our duel."

"I understand Jonouchi," Anzu smiled. "Come on you guys, who fancies ice cream?"

"I don't mind. If that's what you want?" Yugi nodded. "See you both for your duel, okay." He was a little apprehensive about leaving Mai and Jonouchi on their own, but decided to trust them to sort out any problems on their own. He just hoped they didn't have a full blown argument and end up getting thrown out of the park. He took Anzu's hand and lead the way to the ice cream parlour.

"I hope things will be okay between those two," Ryou stated reflectively. "I'm worried that there might be some tension. I mean, one of them will not advance beyond the next round."

"Mmm.. I can see your concern," Sugoroku replied. "But I think we have to let them work it out. That may be why Jonouchi wanted to get Mai alone."

"I think we can trust them. They might argue at times, but I think their relationship is strong enough to survive," Anzu reassured.

"I hope so," Yugi added.

Jonouchi took Mai to a small coffee shop, and ordered himself a caramel latte and a jam doughnut, while Mai had a skinny latte.

"So," Mai said jokingly. "You plan to bribe me to let you win?"

"Guess again?" He smirked.

"Oh my god! You're going to throw in the towel! No way will I let you do that. I want you to duel me at your best Jonouchi. If you _let _me win, I will kick you from here to Osaka.. Rikai shimasu?"

He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes with a serious expression. "I have no intention of letting you win, or even going easy on you Mai. Only one of us will advance to the next round. And I wanted to tell you, that no matter what happens, I still love you. If you beat me, it will because you were the better duelist on the day."

She removed one of her hands from his and cupped his cheek. "I know. And if I bad mouth you, or say anything spiteful in the heat of the duel- ignore it. It will just be me letting go of any frustration, and despite what I might say, I love you. Now how about we enjoy our coffee and relax, because I just know we are in for one hell of a battle!"

"Yeah!" He glanced at his doughnut, licking his lips.

"Go on, tuck in. I can tell that right now you love that doughnut more than me!" She pouted, with a touch of humour added.

"Mmm..love doughnut," he joked, biting into the soft sugary bun. The Jam oozed out and dripped down his chin.

"You messy pup. Here?" Mai picked up the paper serviette and he stuck his chin out so that she could lovingly dab the jam from his chin. "I can't take you anywhere, can I?" She chuckled.

Finishing up their drinks, they made their way to where they would duel.

* * *

**Rikai shimasu = understand. (according to google translate)**

**I think Jam doughnuts are referred to as jelly doughnuts in the States. **

**Even if you don't usually review, I would love to hear your thoughts on the up and coming duel between Mai and Jonouchi. I still cannot decide who will win so I thought I might run a poll to see who you (my readers) would like to see advance. Also, I still have not decided if either of them should reach the final and duel Yugi!**


	23. Chapter 23

After much consideration and some helpful suggestions from Startistica, I have decided how this duel and the following duels will play out. The duel I wrote at the beginning of this story was done by actually playing out a duel with the cards and was a pain as I ended up with cards all over the place! Since I don't have a Mai or Jonouchi deck, I did this by looking up their decks on google and picking out random cards that seemed to work for the battles. I decided not to go into too much detail about what cards they drew at the beginning ect... I gets too confusing and then I make mistakes! Anyway, I hope the duel makes sense.

Expect the odd swear word in this chapter.

Also, I do not own Yugioh, its characters or hold any rights to the game of Duel Monsters.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2.

Chapter 23. The Tournament Continues...

"Okay Mai, this is it," Jonouchi grinned, shoving his deck into the slot on his duel disk. "Remember! No hard feelings when I beat you."

Placing her own deck into her duel disk, she drew five cards. "You might beat me in your dreams, but you won't get the better of me in the real world."

Jonouchi laughed at her response. "When I dream about ya Mai it ain't duel monsters I dream about." A rather naughty grin crept across his face.

"Yeah, well if that's all you can think about, I will have no trouble beating you." It was said with a slight hint of sarcasm, but she also flashed him a seductive smile. "Since I'm a lady, I go first... Lover boy!" She drew her sixth card.

"Since I'm a gentleman, I will let you. Bring it on sweet cheeks.."

"Sweet cheeks! Euww.." Anzu pulled a face like she had just eaten a bitter almond.

Yugi and Honda looked at each other and groaned.

Their tit for tat verbal sparring belied the fact that they were both feeling really nervous. Both wanted desperately to win, but neither wanted to humiliate the other in a crushing defeat.

They also still carried the mental scarring from their previous duels, which had been played under extremely challenging circumstances. Souls had been on the line at the time, and there had been so much vitriol and hatred involved that they were almost consumed by the resulting pain and anguish. They had both worked so hard to recover from it and they were afraid of going backwards.

However, no souls were on the line for this duel. They were dueling purely for pride. And both duelists contained an abundance of pride! No wonder they felt nervous and edgy.

It was no better for the spectators. "Oh Yugi!" Anzu tightened her grip on his arm, not realising her fingernails were digging into his flesh.

"Anzu!" He placed his free hand over hers and gently tried to loosen her grip. "You are pinching my arm." He looked at her with a concerned expression.

"I don't know who to cheer for. They have both been through so much heartache, I want them _both _to win. I just hope that they don't fall out again."

"That was different. Their souls depended on the outcome last time. And Mai wasn't thinking straight! Just enjoy watching them duel without any threats from some deranged megalomaniac!" It was a rare treat that no one had tried to sabotage the tournament.

As she softened her grip on his arm, he took her hand in his and held it, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Yes, you're right Yugi. Go Mai. Go Jonouchi," she shouted encouragement.

"Yeah," Honda added, "Kick his butt Mai." Of course, it was said jokingly.

"Hey! You're supposed to be my best buddy!" Jonouchi pretended to be hurt.

Mai pouted indignantly. "Hey! Are you paying attention? I would like to play my first card."

He turned his attention back to her. "Go ahead. I'm ready for ya Mai!"

"Okay, I shall start by playing Harpie Lady (1300 Atk/1400 Def) in attack mode. And I place one card face down. That ends my turn. Over to you lover." The card she had placed face down was the trap, Spiritual Wind Art – Miyabi.

"Right, I'm gonna begin by playing Axe Raider (1700 Atk/1150 Def) in attack. Go Axe Raider, destroy her Harpie Lady."

"Stupid move Jonouchi. I activate Spiritual Wind Art – Miyabi. It allows me to tribute my Harpie to return your Axe Raider to the bottom of your deck."

Jonouchi shrugged and placed his Axe Raider on the bottom of his deck. He played Trap Hole face down and ended his turn.

"It looks like Mai already has him on the back foot!" Koji observed.

"No, I don't think so. It's early days and they are just feeling their way at the moment." Yugi informed him. "The look on his face says he is taking this seriously. Mai should be cautious of his face down."

Mai drew her next card and smiled. "First of all I am going to play Harpie's Feather Duster to get rid of your annoying trap card."

Jonouchi groaned. "Oh crap!" His Trap hole went to the graveyard leaving him wide open to attack.

"You had better up your game lover boy! Otherwise you won't last long. I play Harpie Lady (1300 Atk/ 1400 Def.) Next I activate Elegant Egotist so that I can also play Harpie Lady Sisters (1950 atk/2100 def.) Go both my Harpie Ladies, attack him directly."

Expecting Jonouchi to lose a large chunk of his life points, everyone held their breaths.

"Meh heh, you should know me Mai, I got tons of stamina," he winked at her. "I play Scapegoat. My life points are safe this turn."

"Man, we should have expected him to do that!" Honda heaved a sigh of relief.

"Hmph.. I end my turn."

"Great moves... both of you!" Anzu shouted her support to them. "I hope it ends up a draw!"

Yugi laughed. "You know that's not possible. Only one player is allowed through." Secretly he wanted his best friend to win. He was really hoping that Jonouchi would win the tournament so that they could duel each other on the big stage, for the first time.

The next turn Jonouchi played Goblin Attack Force with 2300 attack and destroyed Mai's Harpie Lady Sisters. His Goblin Attack Force had zero defence points and knowing it would switch to defence at the end of his turn he also played Shield and Sword face down.

The duel continued on with neither player gaining complete control. They chipped away at each others life points while trying to find a way to find a way to win. It seemed they knew each others personalities and strategies too well.

"Ooh Yugi, this is it, Mai's going to lose!" Anzu grabbed onto Yugi, as Jonouchi's Red Eyes Black Dragon prepared to attack.

When the attack was over, Anzu noticed that she was gripping Yugi's shirt a little too tightly in both fists. "Oops, sorry Yugi," she frowned sheepishly while trying to smooth down the now scrunched up material of his silky black muscle shirt. She knew it meant a lot to him, it was the one he and Atem wore for their Battle City duels and it held a great sentimental value. It was getting a bit worn and faded now, but Yugi kept it to wear for special dueling occasions.

However, he was so busy concentrating on the duel, he hardly noticed what was going on with his shirt. "Great defensive move Mai!" He didn't wish to appear biased towards Jonouchi so he was cheering for Mai as well.

Mai's life points had been wide open when Red Eyes attacked, but she had saved herself by paying 800 life points to activate Premature Burial, bringing her Amazoness Swords Woman, with 1500 Atk back from the graveyard. When Red Eyes had destroyed her Amazoness Swords Woman its special effect meant that Jonouchi took the 900 points of damage instead of Mai. The end result was that Mai was now down to her last 200 life points, with her field wide open. While Jonouchi only had 100 life points left, and his dragon in attack mode. The next turn would probably be the last. It was Mai's turn.

"That was pretty cool Mai, now give it your best shot. My Red Eyes is waiting for ya," Jonouchi beamed. With no lives on the line he was really enjoying himself and judging by the smile on Mai's face, she was too. Perhaps, at long last, the scars from their old encounters were finally fading.

Mai drew Mirror Wall. "Okay, I will play my Dark Witch (1800 Atk/1050 Def) in attack mode. She is not strong enough to defeat your dragon so I will play a face down card and end my turn." She placed Mirror Wall face down on the field.

"I hope you ain't giving up Mai." Jonouchi drew his next card.

"Not on your life boyfriend!"

He nodded. "I have drawn Pot of Greed, so I get to draw two more cards." He drew Swordsman of Landstar and Skull Doice. "Go Red Eyes destroy her witch and the rest of her life points." He had a feeling she was either bluffing with her face down or had possibly played Mirror Wall; he knew she had not played it yet in this duel.

Just as he suspected. "I activate Mirror Wall. Your dragon's attack drops to 1200. I win Jonouchi!"

"Don't count your chickens Mai. I activate Skull Dice."

"Relying on luck again," she sighed. "The chances of you rolling a six are pretty slim. And even if you do it will end in a draw. But go on, roll anyway."

"Yeah! Would you look at that baby. A six! Now my dragon's attack is the same as your Titchy Witchy."

"Big Deal," Mai sighed as both monsters went to the graveyard. "I will win on my next turn."

"Before I end my turn I will play Swordsman of Landstar (500atk/1200def) in defence. I wont use him to attack while your Mirror Force is still on the field. Back to You Mai."

"Call that pathetic little thing a monster? It only has 500 attack!" Mai laughed and drew, hoping for a card that would end this duel. She drew Desert Twister (2300 Atk/2000 Def.) "I don't have enough life points to keep my Mirror Wall on the field so I will place it in the graveyard. Then I will remove from play, one wind and one earth monster from my graveyard in order to summon this." She played her Desert Twister and destroyed Swordsman of Landstar. Mai ended her turn.

Things didn't look good for Jonouchi, he currently held no cards in his hand and his field was empty.

Watching the duel on the monitor in his office, Seto Kaiba smirked. _Good, it looks like that mutt is about to lose. Only a miracle can save him now. _Kaiba had never really understood why he hated Jonouchi so much. He just did! That never ending optimism along with his constant chattering really got on his nerves. Why Yugi put up with it, he would never know. If there was one thing Kaiba really hated, it was someone who relied on luck to win. Dueling was about skill, psyching out your opponent and using powerful strategies to win. Not throwing a dice and hoping it would land in your favour. Seto Kaiba refused to believe that Jonouchi was playing well and deserved to be a top duelist. He rolled his eyes in disgust when he saw Jonouchi's next move.

Jonouchi took a deep breath. "I play this face down and end my turn." He placed Penguin Soldier (750 Atk/500 Def) in face down defence.

"Now you are just delaying the inevitable." Mai drew another card- Trap Jammer. _Dam, useless unless he plays a trap card. _She had really wanted another monster so that she could finish this. _Do I risk attacking his face down? Neither of us have that many cards left, and I know he has used his best cards. I'm sure he doesn't have anything that could hurt me.. Yes, I can't back down now._

She called her attack.

She gasped when he flipped his card. "No! When did you put that in your deck? I thought I knew all your cards!"

"Meh, heh.. You don't know this one. I only added it a couple of days ago. I can target up to two monsters on your side of the field..."

She cut him off sharply. "Yes! I know what it does. It's effect returns up to two of my monsters to my hand." Growling she removed her card from the field to her hand. She was tempted to concede, so that she could take away his chance to finish the duel with a direct attack on her remaining life points. But she had grown as a duelist in the last year and now considered herself a good sport. She bit back the sadness she was feeling at losing and forced a smile. Unfortunately, her voice wavered and gave away her emotion. "I guess that's it huh. Over to You Jonouchi." She winked. "You had better finish this off in style."

He nodded. "Thanks Mai. This has been an awesome duel. If I hadn't drawn the right card at the right time. You would have won." He drew Monster Reborn. "Okay, I'm gonna finish this by using Monster Reborn to bring back my favourite monster- Red Eyes Black Dragon."

The other three duels had now finished and the spectators and competitors had either made their way to try to see the duel, or were watching it on the big screens around the park. Mokuba had pushed his way through the crowd and came to stand along side Yugi to watch the conclusion. He smiled to himself when Red Eyes appeared on the field. It was just the sort of dramatic ending the crowd had paid to see.

Mai braced herself for the attack and stood proudly as her life points went into negative figures. She no longer felt ashamed about losing to Jonouchi, he was now a very strong duelist. She had duelled her best and lost, but only by the narrowest of margins.

There was a time when Jonouchi would have gloated at Mai over his victory. But Duelist Kingdom now seemed a lifetime away and when he looked back to compare his current self with the way he behaved then, he could see just how far he had come. They had both become true duelists and they had just fought a fantastic duel. Smiling warmly, he stepped forward to embrace Mai, leaving his duel disk switched on. Red Eyes was still in the slot and its holographic projection still appeared on the field. To onlookers it appeared that they were standing directly beneath the dragon as it watched protectively over them.

All the women watching oohed and awed, while most of the men clapped and some wolf whistled at the embracing couple.

Mai started giggling against Jonouchi's neck. "You realise we have quite a fan club growing."

"Yeah," he chuckled back. "Yugi had better watch out eh!"

"You bet kiddo." The pair parted and Jonouchi shut off his duel disk, the dragon fading away as he did so.

He turned round and with a huge grin, gave Yugi the thumbs up sign.

Back in his office Seto Kaiba groaned at their theatrics and thumped his desk in frustration. While everyone else had enjoyed seeing Jonouchi and Mai duel and were awed at his victory. Seto was not impressed. _How could someone he considered talentless keep getting lucky and winning? _"Fuck you Jonouchi!" He threw his empty coffee mug at the wall, just as Pegasus walked in.

"Now, now Kaiba Boy! Do I detect sour grapes?"

"You should knock before entering Pegasus," Seto growled flatly.

"I did, but there was no answer." He sat himself down in the plush leather chair opposite Kaiba. "A word of advice Kaiba. You and Katsuya may not like each other very much..."

"Hmph, so you've noticed have you?" Kaiba interrupted sarcastically.

Pegasus ignored him and continued. "There is no denying that since he came to my Duelist Kingdom he has improved immensely. I believe he will win the final; the other semi finalists are nowhere near as talented." Kaiba gave Pegasus a disbelieving look as he continued on. "Now that Yugi Boy no longer has his puzzle, he is only half the duelist he once was and has a lot to prove on his own! He might struggle to beat his friend. If Katsuya wins, what will you do then? Will you duel him instead of Yugi? After all, he would be the new Japanese champion." Pegasus didn't think for one moment that Yugi would lose, but it was still a possibility, and one that he felt Seto Kaiba should accept and prepare himself for.

_Yugi lose? Never.. _"Of course that mutt won't beat Yugi. But if he does, then yes, I will duel him and put the idiot back down where he belongs. It will then prove that I am still the number one duelist."

"Just don't let your animosity against Katsuya Jonouchi rule your heart Kaiba Boy. Instead of hating people you should embrace them. Learn to love and appreciate those around you, otherwise you will die a bitter, lonely old man! Take it from someone, who not so long ago, almost went down the same route."

"Are you done with the lecture Pegasus? And just for the record, I am _nothing _like you. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go to the Duel Arena and announce the semi final matches." He got up and strode out of the office, leaving Pegasus sitting with his hands facing each other, fingertips touching, positioned just under his chin in deep contemplation. He spent a lot of time pondering his own past misdeeds these days. He had tried to keep it out of the media, but after losing his duel with Yugi and then having Bakura steal the eye right out of his head, he had suffered a total nervous breakdown. Of course his biggest loss of all and the driving force behind his behaviour had been the death of his beautiful young wife Cyndia; snatched away from him only months after their marriage. At first when he had disappeared from public view, everyone had assumed he was dead. There had been all sorts of rumours and fabricated stories in the papers about him, but he had shut everything out in order to concentrate on his recovery. He saw things in a much clearer light these days.

After several moments, he got up and followed Seto Kaiba.

* * *

**Thanks for reading.**

**Please let me know what you thought.**


	24. Chapter 24

Sorry this is a week late! Last week was crazy and I was so busy that I hardly had any time to write. Duels also take time to do and get right! Anyway, here it is the duel between Yugi and Jonouchi. I hope I have done a reasonable job and that it doesn't disappoint.

Disclaimer. I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 24. Battle of Friends.

The semi finals would take place in the new Duel Arena. Everyone had been looking forward to watching the duelists compete on this new, state of the art dueling field. All sorts of rumours were going round about the monsters actually being real! Such as, the field projectors could mimic forests and buildings that you could actually touch and the monsters were real and would inflict physical injuries on the duelists!

Seto Kaiba smirked to himself when he walked past a group of pre-teens who were getting rather over excited at the prospect of seeing blood and gore spurting from the duelists. _As if I would let that happen! I would be sued. _But he would make it appear as realistic as he possibly dare. His experience of the Shadow Realm, as Yugi called it, and that debacle with Anubis had ignited all sorts of ideas to make duel monsters a much more realistic and tactile experience.

And at the end of this tournament he would also announce his next big attraction- The VR Simulator, which after all the setbacks, (caused mainly by sabotage attempts) was now ready to be officially launched.

Sitting drinking a soda with his friends, Jonouchi was looking forward to his semi final match on the new field.

Yugi was busy explaining to him how the new field could give mild electric shocks and pain sensations that mimicked the attacks when Pegasus suddenly appeared, smiling as if he were greeting long lost friends.

"Good afternoon. I do hope I am not interrupting, but may I join you? I have hardly had a chance to catch up with you all properly since that unfortunate incident with the escaped mummy."

Not ecstatic about being reminded of Anubis, everyone mumbled and reluctantly made space for him. If he had noticed their reluctance to embrace his presence, he didn't show it.

"That was quite some duel between young Katsuya and Mai Sweet Valentine. You are quite the accomplished duelist now Katsuya. I look forward to seeing you go head to head with our esteemed Yugi Boy. It will be quite a fight."

Only Shizuka and his mother called him by his first name. His father called him brat, along with some other, less flattering names. Friends called him Jonouchi or Jou. He bit back a scowl at the way Pegasus flamboyantly pronounced his first name, but he really couldn't be bothered to get involved in a tit for tat exchange with him, so decided to keep quiet.

Noticing Jonouchi's awkward demeanour, Yugi decided to speak up. "I'm sure it will be a great duel Pegasus," he agreed.

"Yeah, well I gotta win my next two duels first," Jonouchi eventually piped up.

Sugoroku knitted his eyebrows together in a frown. He had always taught his grandson to be forgiving and he admired Yugi's ability to live and let live. But he found it hard to practice what he preached. He could never forgive someone who was prepared to steal a persons soul to get what they wanted. While he disliked Seto Kaiba, he found the flamboyant creator of Duel Monsters, with his theatrics and attempts to be friendly, utterly intolerable. "You need to be at the arena in five minutes Jonouchi," he stated flatly. "We should head over." He didn't even bother to acknowledge Pegasus' presence.

"You're right Gramps." Jonouchi stood up and clenched his fist, flexing his muscles. "Let's go win me another duel."

::::::::::::

Since they were dueling on the new playing field, they were given the option to try out the realistic sensations feature. Unsure how the duelists would deal with this new experience, Seto Kaiba decided that to begin with they would only use the minimum setting; to enable them to become accustomed. However, being the mean spirited person he was, Seto set Jonouchi's side of the field up to maximum level 5 without telling him.

The first attack was made by Jonouchi and resulted in his opponent receiving only mild sensation, which did not cause a great deal of discomfort. But when Jonouchi was hit by an attack on the following turn, the resulting shock force sent him flying backwards in a shower of sparks. "Whaaat, the (oomph..) fu...uu." Remembering there were children watching, he just checked himself from letting out a string of expletives. "What the heck was that?!" He glared in the direction of the smirking Ceo.

"That was cruel Kaiba Boy!" Pegasus chuckled.

While Pegasus found it amusing, Yugi did not. He turned angrily towards Seto. "Kaiba! What did you do to Jonouchi's side of the field?"

Seto just shrugged. "Oh, give it a rest Yugi! If he is not man enough to take it, then he doesn't deserve to be dueling at _our _level!"

Anzu stepped forward with her hands on hips; like a mother scolding her child. "But Kaiba! That's not fair on Jonouchi. You didn't warn him first!"

Her reaction was only serving to give Kaiba an even greater sense of satisfaction. Yugi held her back so he could deal with Kaiba himself. "Jonouchi is more than able to handle it Kaiba, but you should have told him you were giving his opponent an advantage before the duel. It is not sporting."

"Oh, would you just listen to yourself with the lectures Yugi! There was I thinking you had sent that pompous, self righteous windbag to the so called, _afterlife," _he stated mockingly. "But it seems he left his attitude with you," he smirked. "You sound more like him every day."

The words were like a knife to Yugi's heart, and when Mokuba turned on him, Kaiba wished he could have taken them back the moment they came out, but he was so used to making caustic remarks that he couldn't stop himself.

"Big brother that was just cruel. How dare you talk to Yugi like that! And picking on Jonouchi, just because you don't like him. Why are you always so mean?! They are supposed to be our friends." He shouted emotionally at his brother. Mai stepped forward and placed her arm around Mokuba.

"It's okay Mokuba, Look at Jonouchi, he is fine, it didn't bother him at all," she reassured the rather upset thirteen year old.

Jonouchi was back on his feet. "Hey Kaiba!" He shouted over at Seto, who was looking a little stunned by Mokuba's outburst. Jonouchi had not heard the spiteful words Kaiba had just said to Yugi, he was only aware of what Kaiba had attempted to do to _him_ in order to put him off his game. He gave a thumbs up sign and grinned, adding to Kaiba's annoyance. "Awesome new feature. I was a little surprised by it, but it's real cool. I love it!"

Anzu felt saddened, she had hoped Kaiba was moving on from his old vitriolic self, but clearly this was not so. To speak to Yugi like that! And be so disrespectful towards Atem, when he knew how much they all missed him, was deeply hurtful. Why did he always feel the need to say such spiteful things to people? Of course she was used to his behaviour, but this was a step too far. Atem had been a part of Yugi's soul and had helped make Yugi the amazing man he was now. He had also been Kaiba's fiercest rival. Anzu thought that Kaiba had respected him in the same way Atem had respected Kaiba. To say something like that was low, even for him. "Kaiba, you should apologize to Yugi." Her voice was hushed and shaky.

Kaiba seemed unusually embarrassed and did not respond.

Refusing to allow Kaiba's words to cut into him, and proving once again how he was able to rise above his rival, Yugi spoke up. "Kaiba, you do not need to say sorry, but please think about what you said. When the Other Me left we thought you had overcome your jealousy and lack of respect towards others, but sadly we were wrong."

Pegasus' attention was divided between the duel taking place and the awkward situation between the teens standing next to him. Oh, how he was loving this little confrontation. Kaiba Boy had overstepped the mark, yet again! And Yugi Boy was rising above him as always. If only Kaiba could see that this was the reason he could never defeat Yugi in a fair duel. For once he deemed it prudent to keep quiet.

There was a moment of awkwardness, which was broken when Mai whistled through her fingers, in what Pegasus amusingly thought was most unladylike. "Way to go Jonouchi!" She shrieked loudly a moment later.

While Jonouchi's friends were all busy cheering for him to win the duel, Kaiba turned to Yugi and said the words he thought he would never, ever say to anyone. "Yugi... I'm sorry." It was hushed but sounded genuine.

"Kaiba!" Yugi turned to him with a surprised expression. Anzu who was close to Yugi also heard and was about to open her mouth but thought better of it. Instead, she pretended not to have heard.

The corner of Yugi's mouth turned up in a small, knowing smile. "Thank you Kaiba."

Kaiba returned a small lopsided smirk of his own. "I'm not going to grovel, so don't say anything else."

Their acquaintance could never really be called friendship and was always going to be an uneasy one. But Kaiba had just learnt to fully respect _both _Yugi's.

::::::::::::

The final was well fought, but it never really ignited into a battle worthy of a final. Jonouchi's opponent was new to professional duel monsters and was slightly overawed at being on the big stage in front of his heroes, and dueling one of them! The mere prospect of facing Yugi if he won got the better of him and his challenge fizzled out. In the end Jonouchi won fairly easily, setting up the match that everyone hoped for- Yugi vs Jonouchi.

::::::::::::

"Good luck Jonouchi," Yugi smiled warmly as he shook Jonouchi's hand.

"And you buddy."

After shuffling each others decks, they moved apart to face one another. Their smiles replaced with their serious gaming faces.

Anzu and Mai stood dangerously close to each other as they looked on, each willing their man to win. Honda and Sugoroku decided to step in between them, just in case things got a little heated. As much as Honda loved a good cat fight, this wasn't the time or place for one.

**Yugi 4000 LP / Jonouchi 4000 LP.**

"Okay Yugi. I will start things off, Jonouchi called to his friend. He began by playing Gearfried The Iron Night **(1800 Atk/1600 Def)** in attack, and then placed Trap Hole face down. "Over to You Yugi." _I just know he is going to try to get his Dark Magician on the field on the first turn. I know his strategies. Trap Hole will get rid of it._

Yugi kept his face expressionless but nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement. "Okay, I will play Double Coston. **(1700 Atk/1650Def)** Then I will use it to summon my Dark Magician** (2500 Atk/2100 Def)** to the field."

The crowd cheered when Yugi's signature monster appeared on the field.

Yugi smiled slightly at the crowds response. Unafraid of Jonouchi's face down, he called his attack.

"You fell right into my trap Yugi. I activate Trap Hole. Sorry, but your Magician is destroyed."

"I don't think so, I activate Remove Trap. My Magician is safe. Now Dark Magician destroy Gearfried."

"I play Scapegoat. You won't get me that easily Yugi!"

The highly animated crowd cheered and clapped excitedly; round one had ended in a draw.

Kaiba smirked at the atmospheric buzz around the stadium. The mutt was putting up a fight, and as much as Kaiba disliked Jonouchi, he had to admit that he was good entertainment value, because the crowd seemed to love him.

Even though they were divided, Yugi and Jonouchi's friends cheered for both duelists. Sugoroku was willing his grandson to win, while Anzu and Mai were trying to outdo each other in volume with the vocal support for their respective beau.

"I play two face down cards and end my turn." Yugi set Spellbinding Circle and Magic Jammer on the field.

Jonouchi couldn't help but smirk when he drew his Red Eyes Black Dragon. He already had Dragon Nails in his hand, if he equipped it to his dragon it would be strong enough to take out Yugi's magician. However, Yugi had set two face down cards, which were most likely a trap and something to boost his Dark Magician's power, so he would need to be cautious before attacking. "I play Panther Warrior and then I sacrifice him along with Gearfriend to summon my Red Eyes Black Dragon. **(2400 Atk/200- Def)** Then I play a face down of my own." He set Dust Tornado "I'm not walking into your trap, so I end my turn. Over to you Yuge."

Yugi grinned and nodded, but didn't give anything away as he drew another card. "I play Ancient Rules in order to summon Dark Magician Girl. **(2000 Atk/1700 Def)** Then I activate Dark Magic Attack to destroy your face down and also your remaining Scapegoats. Now you are wide open to attack. Dark Magician, destroy his Red Eyes Black Dragon."

"I equip my dragon with Dragon Nails, giving him an extra **600** attack points. He is now stronger than your Magician."

Jonouchi's Dragon now had **3000** attack compared to Dark Magician's **2500**.

"Then I activate Magic Jammer. I can discard one card from my hand to destroy your Dragon Nails." He placed Dark Blade in his graveyard. Dark Magician finished his attack, destroying Jonouchi's Dragon and costing him **100** life points. Yugi then attacked with Dark Magician girl inflicting another **2000** damage to Jonouchi's life points, reducing him to **1900.**

Jonouchi was blown off his feet by the blast. The crowd gasped and oohed for Jonouchi, before cheering loudly for Yugi. He was proving once again, why he was the King of Games.

Jonouchi was unshaken and immediately leaped to his feet, planning his comeback.

**Yugi 4000 LP / Jonouchi 1900 LP**

He drew Pot of Greed, playing it immediately, he drew Kunai With Chain and Copy Cat.

Jonouchi couldn't help but grin. "I play Copy Cat. (**zero Atk and Def)**) I'm using him to copy your Dark Magician. I also play a face down and end my turn." He didn't attack because Yugi still had a face down and he was sure it was either Mirror Force, Magic Cylinder, or something equally troublesome.

Yugi drew Queens Knight and added it to his hand. He didn't trust Jonouchi's face down and since Copy Cat had the same attack as his Dark Magician, he ended his turn.

This stalemate continued for a couple of turns until Yugi played Soul Taker, destroying Jonouchi's Copy Cat. Thanks to its effect Jonouchi also gained **1000** life points bringing him back to **2900**.

During the previous turn, Jonouchi had played Garoozis **(1800 Atk/1500 Def)** in attack mode, so Yugi called his attack. "Dark Magician Girl, destroy Garoozis." Yugi knew Jonouchi would activate his trap when one of his Magician's attacked, but it was worth the risk. Jonouchi chose to activate it when Dark Magician Girl attacked.

"I activate Kunai With Chain. Switching your Girlfriend to defence. My Garoozis also gains **500** attack."

"It still isn't strong enough to defeat my Dark Magician," Yugi warned him. Jonouchi had no more face down cards so Yugi ordered Dark Magician to attack.

"Not yet he isn't. I activate Graceful Dice." Jonouchi rolled a four. "Yeah my Garoozis gains another **400** attack, that makes him.. er.." He started counting on his fingers.

Mai rolled her eyes. "**2700** attack." she shouted.

"Oh yeah! Thanks Mai," he winked at her. "Say goodbye to your Dark Magician Yugi." Yugi's Magician went to the graveyard and he lost **200** life points. Leaving him with **3800.**

**Yugi 3800 LP / Jonouchi 2900 LP.**

Yugi played Marshmallon **(300 Atk/500 Def)** in face down defence and ended his turn.

On his next turn, Jonouchi played Armoured Lizard **(1500 Atk/1200 Def)** "First my Garoozis destroys your Magician Girl." He had forgotten about Yugi's face down trap card.

"I activate Spellbinding Circle. Dark Magician Girl is not going anywhere and your Garoozis is trapped."

"Good move Yugi." Jonouchi eyed Yugi's face down. Should he attack and risk its effect?

"What are you waiting for Jonouchi?" Using his best I'm bluffing face, Yugi smirked.

"Your bluffing Yugi.. I'm not falling for it. Armoured Lizard destroy his face down."

"I wasn't bluffing, and you fell for it Jonouchi!" Marshmallon was revealed. Its effect meant that it couldn't be destroyed in the battle and thanks to its other effect, Jonouchi lost **1000** life points, reducing him to **1900**.

"Jonouchi, you idiot," Mai shouted. "Even I could see what Yugi was up to!"

"Yeah, right Miss I never fall into traps!" Anzu peered round Honda and grinned victoriously at Mai. "Way to go Yugi. All is fair in love and war, right?" She smiled sweetly.

Mai childishly stuck her tongue out at her.

"Now, now ladies!" Sugoroku chuckled.

**Yugi 3800 LP / Jonouci 1900 LP.**

"It's my turn!" Yugi shouted, drawing his next card. He placed Marshmallon Glasses on Marshmallon and ended his turn. His Dark Magician Girl was still in defence mode. "Over to you Jonouchi." Since there wasn't much else he could do, he would bide his time.

Jonouchi smirked. "Would you look at what I just drew! I sacrifice Garoozis and Armoured Lizard to play Jinzo. **(2400 Atk/1500 Def)" **The new holo system made the giant cyborg look even uglier. All the traps and spell cards exploded as they were vanquished.

"With its glasses gone, your Marshmallon is toasted." Jinzo destroyed Marshmallon and Yugi lost **2100** life points, reducing him to **1700**. It was a big hit and Yugi was blasted off his feet by a bolt of electricity and thrown backwards across the floor.

"Woo hoo," Mai jumped up and down like a five year old. "You can win this Jonouchi!" She shrieked.

"No! Yugi!" Anzu cried out, worried that Yugi might be hurt. "Would you just can it Mai." Anzu was leaning across Honda again.

"Hey ladies. No falling out!" Honda said, trying to keep the peace. "Yugi and Jonouchi are still friends. Look at them?! You should follow their example."

They did as instructed and looked at the two duelists. Yugi was just picking himself up off the floor. Unhurt after Jonzo's electrifying attack, he was still smiling. "Great move Jonouchi."

"Thanks Yugi. Are you okay buddy?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. My turn."

**Yugi 1700 LP / Jonouchi 1900 LP.**

Yugi drew Mirror force. Not much use with Jinzo on the field. "I play Queens Knight in defence **(1500 Atk/1600 Def)** and end my turn." He needed to protect his life points in case Jonouchi summoned another monster next turn.

Jonouchi drew Karate Man **(1000 Atk/1000 Def) **However, he used its special ability which doubled its attack and destroyed Queens Knight. He then used Jinzo to destroy Dark Magician Girl. Because he had used its special ability Karate Man was sent to the graveyard. "Over to you Yugi. You had better come up with something soon because your life points are wide open."

The following turn Yugi placed Aqua Madoor **(1200 Atk/2000 Def) **in defence mode.

Jonouchi drew Witch of the Black Forest **(1100 Atk/1200 Def) **He destroyed Aqua Madoor with Jinzo and dealt Yugi **1100** points of direct damage. Leaving him with just **600 **life points**. **

"Its all over on the next turn Yugi." Jonouchi could feel his heart beating a little faster. He had a strong feeling that he might actually be about to beat Yugi for the first time ever!

Anzu gasped and placed her hands over her face. "No Yugi! He won't lose, he won't lose."

"It's not over. He can still win if he gets the right card," Sugoroku reassured.

"If I know Yugi, he will get just what he needs," Honda agreed. "Jonouchi had better watch out."

In his private box Seto rolled his eyes. "What the hell are you playing at Yugi? Get your act together?" He hissed.

"Do you think Yugi is going to lose Seto? It doesn't look good."

"Don't be so stupid Mokuba. Yugi can't be beaten by something as simple as Jinzo!" He hoped.

God forbid the mutt actually won!

**Yugi 600 LP / Jonouchi 1900 LP.**

Upon seeing his next card Yugi felt a wave of relief, but didn't show it. "I play one card face down and end my turn." He placed Old Vindictive Magician **(450 Atk/600 Def)** in face down defence.

Jonouchi drew Skull Dice. Not much use with Jinzo on the field. He added it to his hand. "Jinzo, attack his face down." He was feeling pretty unstoppable right now.

As soon as his card was flipped, Yugi smirked. "Old Vindictive Magician can target one monster you control and destroy it. Say goodbye to Jinzo."

"No matter Yugi. You forget I have one more card and your side of the field is empty. Witch of the Black Forest destroy the rest of Yugi's life points."

"You don't get to win that easily Jonouchi, I play Last Will. I can choose a monster with up to **1500** attack from my deck and special summon it to the field. I choose Green Gadget with **1400** attack. When Green Gadget is on the field I can add Red Gadget to my hand."

Jonouchi's Witch was sent to the graveyard and he lost **300 **life points leaving him with **1600\. **"When my Witch goes to the graveyard I can add a card with up to **1500 **attack to my hand, and I choose Rocket Warrior." He also placed Skull Dice face down in his trap zone and also decided to set Shield and Sword.

Yugi drew Pot of Greed. He played it and drew Stronghold the Moving Fortress and Summoned Skull. He then played Red Gadget **(1300 Atk/1500 Def) **and added Yellow Gadget to his hand. He then set Stronghold and Mirror Force face down, before ending his turn.

**Yugi 600 LP / Jonouchi 1600 LP.**

"Its over I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Red Eyes Black Dragon. Now Rocket Warrior deals **500** damage to your Red Gadget and then I am going to finish this by attacking both your Red and Green Gadgets."

"I activate Mirror Force. You were too hasty Jonouchi. All your monsters are destroyed."

"Shit," Jonouchi hissed. He had been so close. Still it was not over yet. He had the magic card Fissure in his hand and he was pretty sure he knew Yugi's next move.

"Yes!" It was now Anzu's turn to jump up and down. "Come on Yugi!" She called out.

It was Mai's turn to peer round Sugoroku at Anzu. "He hasn't won yet Honey."

As predicted, Yugi played Yellow Gadget. He then activated the trap Stronghold the Moving Fortress. The crowd gasped in astonishment; they had never seen Yugi play this card before.

The three Gadgets slotted into the rather strange looking robot and as its gears started to whirr it became a monster, with an attack of **3000\. **"My Moving Fortress has more than enough attack points to finish this Jonouchi."

As the giant robot lifted its foot to stomp on Jonouchi and his life points, he called out. "I activate Fissure and since your Stronghold is made up of three monsters, I can destroy the one with the lowest attack, which is Yellow Gadget. Now that your Stronghold is disabled you can't attack me with it."

"Good move Jonouchi," Yugi nodded. "But not good enough! I sacrifice my Green Gadget to play Summoned Skull **(2500 Atk/1200 Def)**"

Jonouchi knew what was coming next. Even if he played Skull Dice and rolled a Six, it would only reduce Summoned Skull's attack to **1900 **which was enough to take the life points he had left. He resigned himself to defeat.

As Summoned Skull raised its arms and lightening bolts started building and crackling from its finger tips a light bulb suddenly came on in his head as he remembered he had Shield and Sword face down. Maybe there was still a chance!

"I activate Shield and Sword. It swaps your Skull Demons attack with its defence."

Jonouchi was still dealt **1200 **points of direct damage leaving him with 4**00, **but he had survived another turn.

Standing up and shaking out his tingling limbs, he beamed at Yugi. "Phew! That was close. I just remembered in time that I had set that card!"

"Great defending Jonouchi. I play one card face down and end my turn." He was pretty sure Jonouchi would play a monster in defence next turn. Mai had been caught out by Penguin Soldier and he didn't want to fall victim to something similar, so he set the spell card Shield Crush. He was also wary of the other face down Jonouchi had. Jonouchi hadn't played Skull Dice yet, so maybe it was that?

**Yugi 600 LP / Jonouchi 400 LP.**

When Jonouchi drew his next card, Summoned Skull's Attack and defence went back to normal.

"Okay, Yugi. I got nothing to lose with this next move. But if I call it right your Summoned Skull is destroyed. I play Time Wizard **(500 Atk/400 Def) **Let's spin that wheel of fate."

Everyone held their breaths as a giant clock type face appeared on the field and the hand of fate started to spin. It slowed and clicked from Win to Skull, Win to Skull. Jonouchi's heart beat faster as it hesitated a moment on Win. Yugi felt his heart miss a beat, before the hand on the clock lurched forward once more, to land on a Skull. It was then Jonouchi's turn for _his _heart to sink, while Yugi's sped up! Thank goodness both duelists had strong hearts!

Jonouchi smiled in defeat. "Ya win some ya lose some. It's all yours Yugi, finish it off in style buddy."

Heaving a sigh of relief, Yugi nodded. "Will do... Sorry to do this to you, but... Summoned Skull.. Lightening Strike!" He shouted his final attack with the confidence and authority worthy of a King.

Everyone shielded their eyes from the brightness of the lightening bolts as they struck Jonouchi. Slowly the smoke and the crackling of static subsided. Even though he had been hit full on by the blast, Jonouchi remained standing tall, proud and unflinching.

* * *

**I really hope that lived up to its billing! My maths is not brilliant, so if I have made any mistakes please let me know so I can correct it.**

**My next challenge is to try ant write a decent exhibition duel between Yugi and Seto that features the God cards. If anyone is good at writing duels and can help me with any suggestions for card battles/strategies, I would be most grateful.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	25. Chapter 25

I have made a slight update to chapter 24. It was pointed out to me by a Guest reviewer that I had made a mistake by tributing two cards to play Summond Skull. I should have noticed when I decided on that play, but didn't. Silly mistake.

This chapter is me avoiding writing the duel between Yugi and Kaiba. I can't decide if I should attempt to write the whole duel (which I will be rubbish at) or just gloss over it and concentrate on the emotions and just highlight the odd battle. Perhaps you could let me know what you all prefer?

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 25. The Tournament. Reflections of Battles Past.

Yugi could hear the crowd cheering and chanting his name. They were so noisy! The oval shape of the arena seemed to magnify the sound they made, giving him a sense of claustrophobia. However, rather than acknowledge their praise, he found himself withdrawing from them, in an attempt to shut out the noise.

The last thing on his mind right now was his victory!

His only concern was Jonouchi, who had just been hit full on by Summoned Skull's powerful lightening bolts. Yugi was feeling guilty about attacking with such force, especially knowing that with the new pain sensation setting at level five, being struck by bolts of lightening would feel as though they were real!

The huge, fearsome figure of the Skull Demon flickered and vanished as Yugi hastily shut off his duel disk and ran over to his friend, who remarkably, was still standing, fists clenched at his sides in defiance against the pain he was feeling. His jaw was set rigid to keep from crying out in an unmanly way. Still fizzing with static electricity, Jonouchi's shaggy straw blond hair stuck out in frizzy wisps, while a frazzled fringe covered his eyes, shielding their emotion from view. The pain had made his eyes water but there was no way he would admit they were in fact, tears.

"Jonouchi! Are you okay?" Yugi enquired, full of concern. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to..."

Jonouchi looked up and slowly a grin appeared on his face. He used his free hand to push his hair back from out of his eyes. "Why ya sorry Yuge? You beat me fair and square. I would have done the same to you in order to win!"

"Yeah but... Summond Skull's attack power is massive. You might have been hurt!"

"Nah... it was nothing. Don't forget I been hit by the full force of Ra and lived! Everyone is cheering for ya buddy. Listen to em?"

"I know," Yugi said bashfully. "It still feels strange when they do that."

There was a slight dip in volume from the audience as the overhead microphones picked up the two friends conversation.

Chuckling, Jonouchi grabbed Yugi's wrist and hoisted his arm in the air. "Yugi Mutou ladies and gentleman! King of Games and undisputed champion of champions," he bellowed. A moment later he grabbed Yugi in a bear hug and clamped him on the back almost crushing the air from his lungs.

Another round of cheering ensued.

"T... thanks Jonouchi," Yugi gasped and chuckled at the same time. "C..can't breathe!"

Eager to shut Jonouchi up, Seto Kaiba strode onto the playing field to officially announce Yugi as the winner. "You had me worried there for one moment Yugi," he hissed, so that it was barely audible.

Among the cheers and shouts, Yugi's friends were jumping up and down, screaming their own praise for the two duelists.

Both Anzu and Mai could hear screams, from mostly the females in the audience, such as: 'I love you Yugi!' 'I love you Jonouchi!' and 'Marry me!'

Mai was gracious in Jonouchi's defeat. Smiling, she gave Anzu a hug. "Makes you feel proud huh? It doesn't really matter that Jonouchi lost. Yugi is just too good. Even without the Pharaoh."

Smiling proudly, Anzu hugged her back, nodding against her shoulder in agreement. "Yeah, they both duelled well." She looked over Mai's shoulder at Yugi. He was giving his victory speech and Anzu was amazed at how quickly he was becoming accustomed to talking to large audiences.

A few months ago, and even with Atem's encouragement, he had been unable to hide his embarrassment.

Yugi was looking directly at his friends as he praised them for their support of himself and Jonouchi. When his eyes met Anzu's, she gave him the thumbs up sign and in return he winked at her, also giving the thumbs up. Of course the crowd saw his gesture and went wild so he extended the thumbs up to the whole audience.

When Yugi handed the microphone to Jonouchi so that he could speak, Kaiba snatched it away before Jonouchi could say anything. He had another announcement he wanted to make. "Enjoy your celebrations while you can Yugi. You have twenty minutes to prepare for our exhibition duel. And don't forget to include the Egyptian Gods in your deck. I'm sure the audience is looking forward to seeing them crushed by my Blue Eyes White Dragons!"

At the mention of the Gods versus Blue Eyes, the crowd cheered. They did indeed want to see the three Egyptian God cards in action. Now that they were banned from tournaments for being too powerful, opportunities to see them in a duel were rare.

::::::::::::

They left the duel arena by the competitors tunnel that lead underneath and behind the stadium seating into a waiting area and players lounge, where there was also a private bar and changing rooms.

"See you back here in exactly twenty minutes Yugi." Kaiba left them and disappeared through a door marked private. Yugi assumed it was an office or something.

"What do you want to do while we wait Yugi?" Jonouchi enquired.

"Get something to eat and drink I guess. I need to make a few changes to my deck to include Slifer Obelisk and Ra, then I'm ready."

Accompanied by Mokuba, Anzu and Mai appeared with Sugoroku, Ryou and Koji. Anzu immediately went over to Yugi to hug and congratulate him. Not caring that their friends were watching, he pulled her into a loving kiss.

Not to be out smooched, Mai consoled Jonouchi with an equally loving kiss. "It's no shame losing to Yugi, you were still awesome," she said pulling away slightly.

"Yeah, you were awesome Jonouchi," Anzu winked. Releasing Yugi, she leaned over to Jonouchi, lightly punching his shoulder. "Yugi is just more awesome."

"Yeah, but he can't beat me in a noogie contest." Moving with haste, Jonouchi quickly grabbed Yugi in a headlock before he had time to react. "Meh heh, gotcha! My little spiky haired buddy." He ruffled Yugi's hair as Yugi tried in vain to fight him off. Everyone fell about laughing at their antics.

After a couple of minutes Jonouchi released his hold slightly, just enough for Yugi to turn the tables on him by jumping on his back and messing up Jonouchi's already messy hair. Jonouchi tried to push him off, laughing. "Man, you're getting too strong Yuge. Soon I won't be able to get the better of ya!"

"Are you boys forgetting something?" Sugoroku interrupted their sparring.

"Yes Yugi, shouldn't you be preparing to face Kaiba?" Ryou said with a serious expression.

"I already know which cards I plan to use. It won't take long to prepare." Yugi replied confidently. Surprisingly he found himself feeling relaxed. "Do you guys realize, this is the first tournament we have competed in where some maniac hasn't tried to kill us or sabotage things?"

"Don't speak too soon Yugi," Honda replied. "You still have another duel to go."

"People tried to _kill _you?!" Koji was surprised. He had been completely unaware of what was really occurring behind the scenes of Battle City. Like everyone else he thought it was all staged in the name of 'entertainment.' Although, he did recall reading the headlines about Kaiba Corp facing bankruptcy after someone had hacked into their systems during a tournament. Not being business minded he didn't take much notice.

Little did Yugi and his friends know that by letting Koji into their group, they would be putting themselves in danger again, in the near future.

"You wouldn't believe some of the nut jobs we've had to deal with," Jonouchi told him.

"Well I'm just looking forward to duelling Kaiba fair and square," Yugi stated. "No nut jobs or demons looking to steal peoples souls." He noticed Pegasus approaching and his eyes caught Pegasus' one eye.

"Oh Yugi Boy! I do hope you are not referring to yours truly. I am most hurt," he pouted. "You know I was being controlled and was not responsible for my actions."

"That might be the case Pegasus, but it still doesn't mean you were completely without blame. You chose to gouge your own eye out and replace it with _that _item, in return for its power," Sugoroku added harshly.

"Believe me Mr. Mutou. If I could go back and change things, I would." Pegasus sounded genuinely remorseful.

"But you have still never apologised to Mr. Mutou for stealing his soul!" Anzu challenged.

"No, I haven't, have I. But I assure you I have been more than punished for my actions. I always valued my beautiful looks." He pulled his hair back from his face and lifted the eye patch he wore, revealing an ugly indentation and scar where his eye socket should be. Everyone gasped. "As you can see, I have to live with this as a constant reminder of my sins."

"Ugh! What happened to your eye?" Koji was the only person there who did not know what had happened at Dueilst Kingdom.

"Why don't you ask your friend Mr. Bakura what happened to my eye? Why, he even licked it clean!" Pegasus smirked at Ryou, who was cringing in the background.

Of course Ryou had been under the influence of the spirit of the ring at the time. "Like you, I was not in control of my own actions either Pegasus." He had no memory of the event, but had woken with the revolting taste of blood in his mouth and the golden eye in his hand.

"Yes, I quite understand my dear boy! And of course I don't hold it against you. It is not in my nature to ask forgiveness, but since you have all forgiven young Ryou for his misdemeanours; which I understand were far worse than any of mine! I would ask that you all try to be a little less hostile towards me. While I may be cursed with limited eye sight these days, I can still see well enough to know that none of like me very much."

"Maybe if you apologised to Yugi and Mr. Mutou, we might be more forgiving," Anzu replied indignantly.

"If that is all you require, then of course... I am sorry! But for me, actions speak louder than words. Did I not save all of you from Anubis when he tried to get revenge on your dear Pharaoh? If it were not for yours truly, you would have all been crushed to death and buried underneath piles of rubble, along with that ungrateful Kaiba Boy."

"Erm... Why did Ryou dig your eye out? And who is Anubis and Pharaoh? Aren't they like, Egyptian or something?" Koji was finding their conversation really strange.

Yugi was very quick to provide an explanation. The little white lie rolled easily off his tongue. "Do you remember when the Kaiba Dome was blown up and destroyed last year? Well the guy responsible called himself Anubis. He called me Pharaoh because I was the King of Games and he found out I am interested in Ancient Egypt. He was totally insane. He packed himself with explosives and gatecrashed a duel between me and Kaiba. He sent a cryptic note to Pegasus, who managed to work out what it meant and arrived in his private helicopter, just in time to save us before the building collapsed."

As far fetched as Yugi's story seemed, Koji believed it. Suddenly, Hirutani's plans to beat up Yugi and Jonouchi seemed rather small in comparison to what they had already had to deal with.

"Man, you guys have some had some crazy adventures. But why did Ryou dig Pegasus' eye out?"

"That wasn't me. It was my psycho twin brother, who has thankfully been sent away...forever." Ryou replied nonchalantly. He felt an involuntary shiver run down his spine at the memories.

"How about we all get some coffee? Before this conversation gets any weirder." Mai decided they were getting way off track. "Besides, you only have ten minutes to sort your deck out Yugi!"

"Oh shit! I had better do that now!" Yugi went over to a table, away from the others to make the alterations to his deck.

Anzu brought him over a can of iced tea and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Anzu." He looked up at her lovingly and smiled.

"Ahh.. How sweet is young love." They both rolled their eyes as Pegasus came over to them.

"What do you want Pegasus?" Yugi sighed.

"You have never had a Dragon Capture Jar in your deck, have you Yugi Boy?"

Yugi shook his head. "No I have never really thought to include one in my strategy."

"I no longer have any use for mine. You don't have to use it if you don't wish to, but here, I would like you to have it." He handed Yugi his Dragon Capture Jar card.

Yugi nodded. "Thanks Pegasus. I will put it in. Kaiba won't be expecting it." Yugi had a feeling this duel would be more for entertainment of the crowd than a serious contest anyway.

::::::::::::

Mokuba sat on a table across from where Kaiba was sitting in a black leather arm chair, sorting through his cards. "Are you still thinking of making changes to your deck so that you can beat Yugi, Seto?"

Seto put his cards down and chuckled. "No. My deck is fine as it is." He folded his arms and sat back.

"Then what is it Seto? You clearly have something on your mind!"

Seto sighed. "You don't miss much, do you Mokuba! This duel, you do realise I am unlikely to win, don't you?"

Mokuba gasped. "What! Why would you say that? You don't plan to let Yugi win, do you?"

"No! You need to understand- this duel is not about winning, it is about entertaining the crowd. I have already crunched the numbers and I have less than a 2% chance of beating the Gods, so I have nothing to lose! The crowd want Yugi to win anyway. They expect him to win! Why not graciously accept that, and for once enjoy the fact that even if I lose, I am still the winner."

"I still don't understand Seto! Have you taken something? Because you are not sounding like you!"

Seto laughed. It sounded strange since he only ever laughed if it was _at _someone. "Look at it like this Mokuba. The crowd view Yugi's Egyptian Gods as indestructible and they want to see them crush my Blue Eyes White Dragons. The best way for me to defeat the Gods would be to use a strategy that prevents Yugi from playing them on the field. However, since the crowd have paid for tickets to see them, I would be unwise to use such a strategy. The reason I win, is because the crowd will see me and my Blue Eyes as brave and heroic for challenging the Gods even though we have no chance of beating them. The end result is that Yugi wins the duel and keeps his throne, while I keep my pride intact with the knowledge that I was not able to duel with my strongest deck. I also win because this weekend has been extremely successful and we have made a huge profit by using Yugi as one of the main attractions, proving that as a businessman, I a reign supreme."

"Oh! I get it now Seto," Mokuba laughed. "You were not worried about beating Yugi anyway. You are an awesome big brother Seto."

"I have something else to tell you in confidence Mokuba. You must not breathe a word to anyone, promise?"

"Promise."

"You are right, I don't really care about beating Yugi. I have far more important ambitions to occupy my mind. So I have decided to just let him enjoy his fame while it lasts. There will come a time when someone younger and much hungrier for victory comes along and beats him. It's how the world works. The same thing applies to building business empires. In the world of business, I am still young and on the way up, so I have yet to reach my peak. Recently, I have come to accept that in duel monsters, I peaked two years ago."

Deep down, he hoped that at some point, there might be another opportunity to crush Yugi in a duel. But to continue obsessing over it would ultimately hold him back and damage his chances of growing his empire.

::::::::::::

"Are you ready Yugi?" Sugoroku called.

"Yup! Finished sorting my deck. Just gotta use the bathroom and I'm ready." He got up and placed his deck in his hip holster and picked his duel disk up from the table, handing it to Anzu. "Look after this for me while I go to the gents."

She nodded and took it from him, hugging it to her chest.

When he emerged, Kaiba was already waiting for him.

"Where have you been Yugi? For one minute I thought you were too frightened to face me and had run away."

"Like you wish I would!" Yugi retorted.

His friends wished Yugi good luck and dashed off with Mokuba to their seats. Only Anzu remained with them.

"Good luck Yugi. Kick his smug ass." Anzu smiled sweetly at Seto as she handed Yugi his duel disk.

"I hope that when you insult me, you remember that I am also your employer?" Kaiba informed her with a slightly amused expression.

"Of course I do! But it wouldn't be any fun if we didn't insult each other now would it?" Anzu replied boldly.

Seto shrugged. "No, I guess not. Now if you are going to kiss him, hurry up because I haven't got all day. Just make sure I am looking the other way first. And please... no tongues."

Anzu stuck her tongue out at Kaiba before kissing Yugi, ensuring that the kiss was a rather noisy French kiss.

The kiss surprised Yugi more than it shocked Kaiba. "Mmmm, Anzu!" He panted, reluctantly pulling away. As much as he wanted to spend longer kissing her like this, now was not the time or place. "You should go and find your seat now." He allowed his hand to run from the small of her back over her rear, gently sliding his hand inside the leg of her shorts to cheekily squeeze the flesh at the top of her leg briefly, before letting her go.

"Yeah, see ya." She slid her arms from where they were draped over his shoulders, allowing her fingertips to tickle the back of his neck seductively. He always liked it when she did that. "Have a great duel, both of you."

"Ugh, finally!" Seto turned back to face them. "You could at least save the foreplay until after the duel Yugi! Think yourself lucky I don't default you the match for delaying tactics. Now if you can get your mind back on the duel instead of your girlfriend. I would like to get this duel started. I am anxious to beat you."

"Okay, I'm ready Kaiba. Let's give the audience a great duel." Looking every bit as confident as Atem used to, he strode through the double doors and into the bright spotlights of the stadium. Kaiba followed him closely.

As the two best duelists in the world stepped onto the dueling field a huge cheer went up. There was an intense atmosphere rolling off the crowd, who were extremely excited about the prospect of seeing all three Blue Eyes White Dragons go up against Yugi's Egyptian Gods.

Deep down, both duelists knew this was just for show, but neither Yugi or Kaiba had any intention of disappointing the fans. They would indeed put on a great show.

* * *

**Pleas let me know what you think.**

**Until next time...bye.**


	26. Chapter 26

Here is the next chapter. Rather than write a long drawn out duel, I have just summarised the part of the battle involving the Egyptian Gods.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 26. The Tournament Concludes.

The audience gasped when the first of Yugi's Egyptian God Monsters appeared on the battle field.

Seto Kaiba had already managed to get his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon on the field and appeared to have gained the upper hand, but Yugi, resilient as always, countered the move immediately.

Earlier in the game he had sent one monster straight to the graveyard, to special summon The Tricky. Kaiba was pretty certain the monster Yugi had sent to the graveyard was the Winged Dragon of Ra. After two more turns, Yugi had then sacrificed The Tricky, along with Double Coston to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon.

Slifer, with its huge twin mouthed head and enormous serpent like body, coiled menacingly above, filling most of the field. It seemed to dwarf Seto Kaiba's Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. In reality it wasn't that much larger, it just looked so much more imposing.

If the feeling of power coming from the Ultimate Blue Eyes wasn't fearsome enough, the whole stadium seemed to resonate with the presence of this God.

However, despite its size and overwhelming power, Seto Kaiba could still smirk. "Your Slifer might be big Yugi, but it still doesn't have enough attack points to beat my Ultimate Dragon. You only have three cards in your hand." The Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon with 4500 attack was still 1500 points stronger than Slifer, which relied on the number of cards in the controllers hand.

Yugi smirked back. "I end my turn. Over to you Kaiba."

"I am not afraid to attack Slifer Yugi. Go my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, destroy Slifer." Seto seriously didn't expect his attack to be successful, but he reminded himself that this was for show and the crowd would be disappointed if his dragon didn't attack.

"Did you forget about my trap card? Reckless Greed allows me to draw two more cards. Slifer now has 5000 attack points. Slifer, destroy his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon."

"I activate De-fusion." Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon disappeared only to be replaced by the original three Blue Eyes White Dragons used to summon it.

"Slifer's special ability is activated. Your dragons are each dealt 2000 points of damage." Slifer's second mouth opened and fired simultaneous blasts at each Blue Eyes. The sound was immense, and when the smoke cleared, each Blue Eyes was smouldering and looking slightly forlorn with just 1000 attack points left each.

Kaiba played another face down card and ended his turn.

"As a result of playing Reckless Greed, I cannot draw a card for the next two turns. But all I need to do to end this is to destroy just one of your dragons. Go Slifer destroy the dragon on the left."

"Not so fast Yugi, I play Negate Attack. My life points are safe and so are my dragons."

Yugi played another card face down, which reduced Slifers attack to 4000 and ended his turn.

Kaiba drew his next card. "I play Monster Reborn. And I think you know which monster I want, don't you Yugi?" Seto smirked as he took Ra from Yugi's graveyard. "I knew you had sent Ra to the graveyard when you summoned The Tricky. You were hoping to draw Monster Reborn yourself, but so far it has evaded you."

Yugi growled to himself as he handed Seto the card. He knew what was coming next.

The holographic emitters thrummed loudly as the two Gods faced each other. If Slifer was imposing, then The Winged Dragon of Ra made the hair on everyone's neck stand to attention and sent shivers down their spines- Including Yugi's and Kaiba's.

The moment Ra appeared, Slifer opened its second mouth, firing its shot. As the superior God, Rad didn't even flinch.

Seto studied the dragons for a moment. They really were impressive holograms. He silently congratulated himself for the new software upgrade. "Winged Dragon of Ra, use your special ability to destroy Yugi's Slifer."

Yugi felt his whole body shudder and tingle with pain as Slifer the Sky Dragon was destroyed. Despite the ringing pain in his ears, he could still hear the crowd gasp in surprise.

Seto Kaiba could feel his own body tingling. Partly from the power coming from Ra, but also because of the feelings he was experiencing right at this moment. Yugi was defenceless and he had _the _most powerful and feared monster on his side of the field, plus his three crippled Blue Eyes White Dragons. Yugi still had 3800 life points. The crippled Blue Eyes White Dragons with a combined attack power of 3000 would take most of Yugi's life points and then if he used 1200 of his remaining 1300 life points to power up Ra, he could wipe out the 800 life points that Yugi would have left.

He was inclined to disregard Yugi's face down card and called the first of his three Blue Eyes to Attack.

Yugi activated his face down. "I pay 1000 life points to activate Soul Rope. I can special summon a level four monster from my deck, and I choose Mystical Elf (800 atk/2000 def) in defence." Seto's dragon attacked the Mystical Elf and since it only had 1000 attack he lost an equal number of life points, leaving him with just 300 life remaining.

He growled in frustration. "Since my three Blue Eyes are helpless, I will switch them to defence and end my turn." Ra went back to Yugi's graveyard. Seto's Blue Eyes White Dragons had 2500 defence each.

Yugi now had 2800 life points to Seto's 300.

Everyone went so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop in the stadium.

Yugi took a long slow breath in and puffed his cheeks out, letting it go. "I am unable to draw a card again this turn, but I will play Breaker The Magical Warrior (1600 Atk/1000 Def) from my hand, and add one spell counter which boosts my warrior's attack to 1900. Since he is not yet strong enough to destroy any of your dragons I will end my turn." Each turn he could add another spell counter to keep increasing Breaker's attack. Next turn he would also be able to draw a card and hopefully he would be able summon Obelisk The Tormentor, since this was the only God the crowd had not yet seen.

Not very much happened over the next couple of rounds. Yugi destroyed one of the defence position Blue Eyes. And then finally, on the third attempt, he drew Obelisk The Tormentor. "This is it Kaiba." Sacrificing the three monsters he had in play, he smirked "Come fourth Obelisk The Tormentor." With its head grazing the roof, the huge monolithic figure of Obelisk only just fitted into the stadium. The floor of the stadium seemed to vibrate.

When Yugi ordered it to attack the second of the stricken defence position Blue Eyes. Its massive fist came down with such force that it felt like an earthquake. The poor dragon was completely pulverised.

Despite his precious Blue Eyes being crushed, Seto couldn't help smile. Obelisk had been the only God card he had owned so he felt an attachment to it. He was also proud of his new stadium design. It had been built to withstand earthquakes that were force ten on the Richter scale, and it seemed his engineers had met his requirements.

On his next turn Yugi drew Monster Reborn and was able to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra to the field alongside Obelisk The Tormentor.

The crowd were beside themselves with awe and excitement. Most didn't wish to see Seto Kaiba hit by such a terrifying force, but were at the same time anxious to see the full extent of the Gods attack power.

Yugi was reluctant to launch his final attacks with the pain threshold set at maximum. "Kaiba, do you think it might be best if you turn the pain sensation setting to zero? I don't want to hurt you."

Jonouchi was less compassionate. "Meh... What d'ya talking about Yugi!" He shouted. "Hit him with everything you got. I can't wait to see Kaiba squashed like a bug."

"Jonouchi! That's a horrible thing to say," Anzu gasped. "I know you don't like Kaiba much, but we don't want to see him get hurt."

Jonouchi opened his mouth to say that Kaiba was a jerk and would attack Yugi if it was the other way around, but Mai slapped him on the back of the head. "I know what your gonna say. But Kaiba doesn't deserve to be injured after putting on such a great tournament."

"Grrrr.." Jonouchi decide not to argue. Instead he yelled his encouragement. "Come on Yugi, don't hold back buddy!"

Back on the field, the two duellists glared at each other. Seto looked up at the two Egyptian Gods towering over him. It made him shiver in fear and excitement. His heart was racing. He loved these emotions; they challenged every fibre in his body. "No Yugi, I will not be hurt. I want you to attack me. No holding back. Do it!" He ordered, bracing himself for what was to come. He wanted to feel what it was like to be attacked by Ra. Yugi and Jonouchi had both experienced it and he needed to know how it felt to be crushed by a God.

"O..okay.." Yugi was worried and still hesitating.

"Yugi!" Seto barked. "This is a test for you as well as me. I designed this system and know its limitations. Now prove to me you have got what it takes.. Attack!"

"If that's what you want Kaiba." Yugi had discarded two cards to use Obelisk's ability to rid the field of Seto's remaining monsters, leaving his field empty. He then transferred 300 of his life points to Ra, hoping that if it only had just enough attack power to take Seto's remaining life points, the resulting attack would not be too violent.

"Winged Dragon of Ra!" He shouted majestically. "Attack him directly."

The blast that engulfed Seto, felt like being hit with a flame thrower, an electrical shock and the blast from a bomb, all at the same time. _So was this what Yugi and Jonouchi felt when Ra attacked them?_

He closed his eyes and concentrated on trying to block out the sensation of pain. It felt like his body was being ripped apart. He guessed he was air born but felt so numb and detached, he wasn't sure. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, his senses were alive and filled with the desire to not give in to the pain.

When he felt his body hit the ground, his vision went black. Was this what death felt like? That was his last thought before he felt nothing more.

The crowd were roaring with excitement, but went a little hushed when the burst stream died away and they saw Seto Kaiba laying motionless on the ground.

Yugi's heart skipped a beat and he felt shaken. Kaiba had told him he wouldn't be hurt! Surely the safety protocols would not allow the feature to kill someone? Had he _really _just allowed Ra to attack and hurt Kaiba? To do something like that was not like him! For a moment his feet were glued to the floor and he felt like a frozen statue.

Seeing Mokuba suddenly run on to the field, jolted Yugi from his catatonic state. He shut off his duel disk as he ran to Seto. "Kaiba! Kaiba! Can you hear me?" He knelt down beside the fallen CEO.

Mokuba was hunched at his brothers other side and looked across at Yugi with a frightened, panicked expression. "What's wrong with him Yugi? Why did he order you to attack with Ra when he knew what might happen?" Tears were brimming his eyes.

"I. I don't know Mokuba. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have attacked." Yugi hung his head solemnly.

A split second later Ryou was at their side. Yugi moved so that Ryou could check Kaiba's vital signs.

Feeling a comforting hand on his shoulder, Yugi turned round to see Anzu bending over him. "It's not your fault Yugi. He ordered you to attack him." He placed his own hand over hers in acknowledgement of her support.

"I know. But it doesn't make me feel any better. I should have refused. What has happened to me? I didn't used to behave like this!"

"It's okay Yugi, Kaiba is okay," Ryou assured. "He is just unconscious. The blast knocked him out. He should come round in a minute or two." Ryou loosened Seto's shirt collar.

"I know how to wake him up!" Before anyone could stop him, Jonouchi leaned over and squirted water from his drink bottle onto Seto's face.

The effect was immediate. Seto spluttered and his eye lids fluttered open. He tried to sit up, but Ryou stopped him. "Take it steady Seto. You were knocked out by Ra's blast."

"I know that you moron." Seto pushed him away. "Now give me some room. And what idiot decided to try and drown me?" Spotting Jonouchi grinning triumphantly, he groaned. "I might have guessed."

"It did the trick though, didn't it?" Jonouchi retorted.

Seto tried to stand up again, but Mokuba grabbed him in a hug. "You had us all worried there for a moment Seto! We thought you were _really_ hurt. You shouldn't take risks like that!"

"You turned the safety off didn't you?" Yugi sounded annoyed. "You told me it was safe to attack, even though you knew you could be hurt."

"This technology is ground breaking Yugi. I needed to know the limits to which I could push it, without endangering people other than myself." He stood up and brushed himself down and looked over to where Pegasus was busy addressing the audience. _Trust Pegasus to try and steal the limelight!_

"Ahh.. All is well ladies and gentlemen. Seto Kaiba is back on his feet, proving once again, that you cannot keep a true duelist down." He gestured towards Seto with a motion that said _Ta da!_

Seto rolled his eyes dismissively. "Thank you Pegasus, I will take it from here." He paused, while the crowd cheered madly for their heroes. "I hope you all enjoyed the duel between Yugi and myself?" He had to pause again, until the cheers of appreciation died down. "Thank you for all attending Kaiba Land this weekend. The theme park attractions will be open all week. I am extending the special offer on season tickets for another week, so I would urge you to make the most of the opportunity to purchase your tickets, which includes free, non peak travel on the Bullet Train. The station is a mere five minutes walk from the theme park. Next weekend, will see the launch of our new attraction the Virtual Reality Simulator. You can book your place at the ticket office. I would also like to thank all the duelists who took part in making this tournament a success. Have a safe journey home everyone." He shut off the microphone and turned to Yugi. "Congratulations Yugi. Don't feel guilty about attacking me and knocking me out with Ra. You weren't to know I had disabled the safety on my side of the field."

Yugi still felt angry at him, but decided not to say anything further of the matter. As far as he was concerned, it was typical of Kaiba to do something stupid like that and even more stupid of himself not to have guessed that he had.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm famished." Ryou felt his stomach growl. "Who fancies a burger?"

"I would prefer Italian," Mai suggested.

"Yeah, Italian sounds good," Anzu agreed. "Hands up for burger and hands up for pizza?" Only Yugi and Ryo wanted burgers.

"Sorry you two. Pizza wins," Mai announced.

Yugi shrugged. "I don't really mind. I will go along with whatever everyone else wants."

"Me too," Ryou smiled.

"Seto, can we go with them.. please?" Mokuba looked at his brother expectantly.

"I am too busy Mokuba. I don't have time to fraternise with dweebs." When Mokuba visibly slumped with disappointment, he added. "But why don't you go with them. I will let the Pizzeria know you are on the way." He took out his I-pad and tapped something on the screen. "There, they are expecting you all in ten minutes."

"I'm afraid I won't be joining you," Pegasus cooed. "Unfortunately. I have to fly back to LA this evening. It's been lovely to catch up with you all. And well done Yugi Boy. Even without your Millennium item you have shown you are clearly the best duelist."

Pegasus leaving meant that the luxury penthouse suite would now be empty tonight.

"Yugi!" Kaiba's sharp tone got his attention, Yugi wondered what he was going to say. "Since Pegasus is leaving, the Penthouse suite is available. I am offering it to you tonight, free of charge. Give me time to get housekeeping to clean it and it will be all yours from eight pm. I would urge you to accept my generosity as reward for your victory."

"Y.. yeah, okay.. Thanks Kaiba." Yugi was pleasantly surprised. It meant that he and Anzu could spend a romantic night together. He had been planning to treat her to a luxury spa break for two on her birthday in a couple of weeks.

"Woo hoo, yeah... Party time. I can't wait to see all that new gadgetry and soak my bones in one of them big bubble bath things." Jonouchi beamed excitedly.

Yugi felt a bit awkward. He didn't want to have everyone round for a party. How did he tell his best friend that he wanted to spend a nice romantic night with his girlfriend without offending him?

Mai must have noticed the look on Yugi's face, as she came to the rescue. "I don't think Yugi wants all of us there, do you?!"

"Yeah, we should give Yugi and Anzu some time together dude!" Honda knew what Mai was implying.

However, Jonouchi still seemed a little slow to catch on. "But the Penthouse is huge...there's enough room for all...of.." He faltered when Mai nudged him and winked. "Oh! Now I get it," he smirked at Anzu and Yugi. Unusually for Jonouchi, his face was flushed pink. Not because he had almost sabotaged Yugi's night with Anzu, but for the fact that he had been the only one not to twig it would be a romantic night!

"The bath thing is a jaquzzi," Anzu said, slapping him on the back of the head. "And stop grinning like a pervert."

Everyone laughed and Jonouchi pouted. "Can't a guy even smile for his friends these days?" He shrugged.

"Come on everyone." Sugoroku clapped his hands together. "I think we should go and get our pizzas." As everyone nodded and started to walk in the direction of the pizzeria, Sugoroku nudged his grandson and spoke quietly to him. "You can't entertain a young lady with an empty stomach my boy!"

Yugi startled. "Grandpa!" He respond by hissing through clenched teeth quietly so that his friends wouldn't hear. Sugoroku scurried after Yugi's friends to avoid further repercussions from Anzu. He felt that she had never forgiven him for accidentally voicing his observations about her breasts.

"Sheesh Yugi, your grandfather is a worse pervert than Jonouchi!" She had always thought the old man was a bit creepy, ever since he had once commented on her bra size.

Yugi squeezed her hand. Thank goodness she didn't know about the porn videos _he_ had watched. "Don't worry about him, he's harmless enough. Come on let's catch up with the others, I'm starving. Grandpa's right, I can't entertain you on an empty stomach." He winked at her and ducked to avoid the incoming slap to the shoulder. Laughing, they ran to catch their friends.

* * *

**No more duels for a while!**

**Please review.**


	27. Chapter 27

This chapter is all Yugi x Anzu fluff. Warning- it does contain some adult content but I have managed to keep it T rated.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of its characters.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 27. A Night of Luxury.

"Wow!" Was all the pair of them could say as they stepped inside the penthouse suite.

After enjoying pizza with their friends, Anzu had gone to collect her bag containing toiletries and clean clothing, from the locker room she had used while performing the Kaibaman Dance Spectacular.

Meanwhile, Yugi went to collect the key card from reception. Unfortunately, he didn't have a clean change of clothing for the morning. But as they were to discover when entering the room, they didn't need to worry too much. Laid out on the bed was everything they needed for the night. There were two pairs of silk pyjamas; one blue, one pink, along with two luxurious his and hers white dressing gowns, with the KC logo embroidered in blue and gold on the left breast.

"Oh look, they have left us champagne on ice!" Anzu rushed over to the ice bucket on the coffee table, where there was also a vase of fresh cut flowers and some expensive chocolates. "Oh.." she sighed, disappointed. "Its non alcoholic."

Yugi came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. "I don't need champagne to make me all happy and light headed when I'm with you," he whispered seductively.

"Since when did you become all smushy with the romance?" She giggled, tilting her head slightly to reveal more of her neck for him to caress. She traced her fingertips up and down his forearms as he slid one hand teasingly over her lower abdomen and under her skirt.

Just at that moment, he spotted the two black leather gaming chairs facing a wall with a huge flat screen TV. "Oh wow! Look at that?" He immediately released her and darted over to the chair, which had the controls build into the arm rests. The enormous screen flickered to life, and a menu of all the latest games came up. Yugi wasted no time in choosing the game he wanted to play.

Anzu rolled her eyes. "Oh, just great! We get to have a romantic night in a luxury suite and all you can think about is playing games! Haven't you had enough gaming today already?"

"S..sorry," he grimaced sheepishly. "I just wanted a quick look, then I promise I'm all yours."

Anzi sighed. She might as well give him ten minutes to get it out of his system. "I'm going to check out the roof garden and the bathroom."

Stepping outside she found a small area of decking covered with pots containing ferns and colourful patio plants that had an intoxicating scent. There was a table, chairs and two sun loungers. The view across the theme park was stunning.

Heading back indoors, she glanced over at Yugi sitting in the gaming chair. He was looking up at the large screen, playing some rather violent war game. She rolled her eyes in annoyance before stepping into the bathroom.

The bathroom was well stocked with expensive brand toiletries. The vanity unit was luxurious white granite and boasted two moulded basins. They had even been supplied with toothpaste and a toothbrush each. Anzu was relieved they would be able to clean their teeth. Two extra large bath towels were neatly folded and placed on a shelf next to the vanity units. When she saw the circular, whirlpool bath, her jaw nearly hit the floor. "Oh wow!" She shrieked.

"Crap!" Barely one round into the game, Yugi had already lost two lives. He just couldn't concentrate his mind on gaming. He switched off the game and turned the function over to music, looking for something that would be good as romantic background music. He found something called ambient music for relaxation and romance. He smiled and almost laughed out loud at the thought of Kaiba including romantic music on his sound system. But it made sense, this room _was_ intended to be used as a honeymoon suite.

Just as he was about to press the button to start the music, he heard Anzu squeal.

"Yugi! Come and look at the bath tub?" Wondering if there was a massive spider in the bath or something, he jumped up and ran into the bathroom, only to find Anzu jumping with glee at the huge whirlpool bath.

It was easily big enough for both of them. That was probably what the champagne was for; to drink together in the bath.

Grinning devilishly, he approached her and put his arm around her waist. "Fancy a bath together?"

"I thought you were more interesting in gaming Mister?" She poked him in the chest and raised her eyebrows at him while trying not to smirk.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" He raised his eyebrows back at her.

She was feeling quite turned on by his suggestion. "Why don't you go and sort out the champagne? While I freshen up and run the bath." Her mouth tasted of pizza and she was sure she had a bit of mushroom stuck between her teeth.

"Hey, I need to freshen up too. I haven't brushed my teeth since seven this morning!" He didn't want to kiss her with bits of pizza in his teeth any more than she wanted to him. She unwrapped two toothbrushes and handed him one.

He chuckled allowing her to squeeze some toothpaste onto his brush for him. "We even have our own sink each!"

Laughing the two teens had a brushing competition to see who could work up the most lather before needing to spit it out. They both ended up laughing so hard that Yugi accidentally spat his toothpaste all over the mirror. "Oops! Oh heck, what can I wipe it off with? Kaiba will kill us if we leave a mess!" He fussed.

"Don't be silly, he won't even know." Anzu searched under the units and found a cloth. Wiping the mirror clean, she stood back and they admired her cleaning skills. "See, no one will ever know!"

The mirror was still covered in a smear of spit. "What! It's terrible, I can hardly even see our reflection! Let me have a go?" He ran the cloth under the tap. Squeezing it out as much as possible before wiping it over the mirror.

"Yugi! You're making it worse!"

"Oh, sod it. I'm not wasting my time on this." He threw the cloth in the corner and quickly rinsed the toothpaste from his mouth using his hand as a cup. Wiping his mouth dry, he stood up straight and slid his arms around her waist. "Not when I can think of better things to do!" He grinned at her with a smile that made her heart thud and butterflies dance in her stomach.

_OMG! When he smiles like that.. he looks just like.. Atem! I wish he wouldn't keep doing that to me. He thinks he needs to behave like Atem, but I want to love Yugi without being reminded of HIM!_

"Anzu!" Yugi reached out and touched her cheek, jolting her from her thoughts. "Is everything alright? You kinda spaced out for a moment." She gazed into his soft, slightly worried amethyst eyes. He blinked a couple of times and she noticed how beautiful his long lashes made his eyes look.

"Y. yes.." She decided to be honest. "The way you looked at me... When you smile like that you look like... You are getting more like Atem every day."

"You still love him, don't you?" He sighed and dropped his hand away from her face. "I thought we had got over the other Me, but I was wrong. Are we real Anzu? Or is this just you filling a void in your heart with me because I look like him?"

"No! Of course not! It's not my fault that you keep comparing yourself to him," she defended.

He huffed and continued to gaze at the floor.

"Look at me Yugi?" He did as requested and shifted his gaze to her. "It''s true that I will always hold affection for him, because he _was _part of you. It was not my fault that you both made me fall in love with you. But even though Atem left, I still have you. And while I miss him as I would any close friend or relative who passed on, I realized ages ago, that it was you I loved all along. I don't need you to become him. You are drop dead bloody gorgeous as yourself Yugi. You mean everything and more to me than he ever did. I love _you _Yugi."

The corner of his mouth turned up in a lopsided smile, almost making her melt with desire. "The thing is, I'm _not _trying to be the other Me anymore. I used to want to be like him because I thought that if maybe I was, then you would fall in love with me. But what you see before you now is all Me, so if I remind you of him you will just have to get used to it because there is no way I'm turning back into the old Me!"

Anzu placed both palms on his chest and then slid them up over his shoulders, interlocking her fingers behind his neck. "Of course I don't want you to turn back into the old you! I don't want to go back to being like I was either! We have both grown up a lot in the last few months. I guess there was always going to come a point where you would look more like him. I just don't want to lose the kind, sweet Yugi that I have known all my life." She leant forward, kissing him gently on the lips.

He responded and the kiss soon became more passionate. They soon needed to break for a few seconds to breathe. "I can't help the trademark smirk you know," he smiled against her lips.

"Then I will just have to get used to it, won't I?"

"Yep!" He nodded slightly, resting his forehead against hers.

She pressed her body against his. "How about we run the bath and open that bottle of sparkling Elderflower?" She said seductively.

He pulled her close, pressing his hips into hers as he kissed her again. "Later. You look so beautiful, I don't think I can last that long. I need you now!" He was starting to feel aroused. There was no way he could sit in a bath with them both naked.

"Yugi!" She giggled when he scooped her up bridal style and carried her into the luxurious bedroom.

She giggled again when he placed her on the bed and started to undo her clothing, kissing her tummy as he did so. She couldn't prevent the little moans of pleasure escaping her lips, as his fingers and mouth continued to dance over her body, igniting the fire inside her.

Since their first nervous encounter, their love making was growing more passionate and enjoyable as they learned to relax and be less self conscious. They were experimenting more, discovering the little things that turned each other on. He was a fast learner and like all the other games he mastered, he was quickly becoming an expert in the game of love. Atem was now the furthest thing on her mind.

::::::::::::

A little while later the young lovers lay in each others arms on the king size bed. "Shall we run that bath now?" He mumbled.

"Mmmm," Anzu hummed, trailing her fingers through the hairs on his lower abdomen. It tickled and he shivered slightly at her touch. She then stroked her fingers over his hip bone and down the front of his thigh, stopping when she came to the small starburst shaped scar, where the bullet had penetrated his leg six months before. She traced her fingers lightly round it. "Does it still hurt?"

"What?" He tilted his head a little to look at where she was touching the scar on his leg. It had faded quite a bit but had retained its purplish colouring and was slightly indented. "Oh that. No, not really. My leg aches slightly sometimes, but it doesn't hurt anymore," he assured her.

"That's good." She ran her hand back up his body to his chest, planting little kisses on the way. His lean body had become quite well toned in recent months. Anzu shifted herself so that she could look into his eyes. They were dreamy and glazed with pleasure. He tilted his head to capture her lips, kissing her gently.

The pair got up and still naked, padded to the bathroom.

As Yugi started running the water into the tub, Anzu examined the control panel. "Any idea how this works Yugi?"

"No," he laughed. "I have never even been in a hot tub before. I suggest you just press random buttons and see what happens."

"I had better wait until it fills up a bit, or I might blow the fuses or something." Although the water was running into the bath pretty quickly, the large tub was taking time to fill.

"Let's go and open the sparkling stuff while this fills. It has an auto cut out when it reaches this level." He showed her a small sensor on the bath tub that when the water reached it the taps would shut off automatically.

"Oh, that's clever. The technology Kaiba has in this place is amazing."

Popping the cork, Yugi filled their glasses. "Cheers!" They chinked their crystal champagne flutes together and took a sip of their non alcoholic drink.

"Mmm, that's nice and refreshing." Anzu smacked her lips. Yugi had to agree, he had never tasted sparkling elderflower before; it was okay.

The naked young couple smiled bashfully at each other as they stood drinking their sparkling drink. This was the first time they had ever walked around nude or had bathed together! Yugi felt himself becoming aroused again as he watched Anzu climb into the bath. He tried to jump into the water quickly in the hope that she wouldn't notice. To no avail.

When he saw her eyes light up mischievously, he grimaced bashfully. "Sorry, I can't help it! It just, well..has a mind of its own when you're around. And bathing with you is kind of a turn on."

Anzu laughed at his adorable pink flushed cheeks. "Don't feel embarrassed Yugi. I get turned on when I look at you naked too. Especially when I see how hard you are.." She stroked him under the water causing his eyes to widen in surprise. Despite the water being hot he shivered at her touch. "Us girls just aren't so obvious as boys," she giggled.

"Anzu," he moaned. "What are you trying to do to me?" Leaning in, he kissed her passionately, running his hands over her body. The bubbles from the jacuzzi tickled their skin, giving added pleasure to the sensations they were feeling. "Do you think its possible to have sex in a bubble bath?" He whispered while nibbling her earlobe.

"I don't know, but we could find out! Perhaps if I sit on your lap?" she shifted her position to straddle him, pressing their wet bodies together.

"Oh! God! I'm in heaven," he moaned, letting her take control.

::::::::::::

By the time the two of them went to bed to actually sleep, it was three in the morning. Yugi was absolutely, blissfully worn out from the duels followed by he and Anzu's nocturnal activities. He slept like a log.

It was almost ten in the morning when Anzu awoke. She smiled at the sight of Yugi sleeping, he always looked so innocent.

Slipping out of bed, she put on her pink silk pyjamas and went to the bathroom, before heading to the kitchenette to see what she could find to eat.

She hoped that Kaiba's staff had stocked the cupboards and refrigerator so that she could make Yugi some breakfast. She guessed he would be pretty hungry when he woke up, after all the energy he expended last night. She chuckled and felt a tingle in her lower abdomen as naughty thoughts from last night came to mind. The raunchy feelings caused her to blush. _God I'm turning into a nympho!_ She shook her head and opened the cupboard door, standing on tiptoes to peer inside.

It was reasonably well stocked with tea, coffee, bread and a packet of instant miso soup. There was also a big bowl of fresh fruit on the table.

Finding some eggs, some salmon and a tub of pickled vegetables in the fridge, Anzu set about making a hearty breakfast for when Yugi awoke.

Putting the kettle on to boil to make the instant miso soup, she then set about making a Japanese omelette with grilled salmon and toast, with the pickled vegetables on the side. She also chopped up an apple, a banana, the melon and added some grapes to make a fruit salad.

She was just about to go and wake him to tell him breakfast would be served on the balcony, when he appeared, yawning and stretching. His hair looked like a bird had been nesting in it and he had a small amount of what could almost pass as stubble on his chin and upper lip. He was wearing the blue silk pyjama pants, that being a little too large on his slender frame, were hanging revealingly low on his hips. However, Anzu was more concerned he would trip over the ends of the legs.

"Hey, sleepyhead!" Anzu kissed him on the cheek.

Feeling the trousers about to fall down, he hitched them up and tied the drawstring a bit tighter.

"Wow! Did you make all this yourself?" He was impressed.

"Yep, I thought I would treat you by making a nice breakfast."

He raised his eyebrows. "You, making breakfast for me! I thought you didn't do the domestic housewife thing," he teased. Anzu made it no secret that she had no plans to become the traditional Japanese housewife; staying at home to look after her family was not her idea of domestic bliss.

"Yeah, well don't get used to it Mister!" She winked at him. "I just thought you deserved it, after last night and all."

"If you look at me like that, I will forget all about breakfast and ravish you again!" He went to kiss her.

"Ugh! Morning breath." She placed her hand against his chest and gently pushed him away. "Go and get your shirt or dressing gown on," she ordered. "You can't eat bare chested. I will take the food outside. It's a lovely, hot sunny day again."

From the table on the rooftop balcony they could see right across the park. Having opened at ten, Kaibaland was starting to fill up. Even though it was Monday the park would be heaving because it was the holidays.

"Wouldn't it be cool if we could live here!" Yugi shoved a fork full of omelette into his mouth and nodded his appreciation. "Mmm this is tasty," he mumbled.

"The novelty would soon wear off," Anzu told him. "Anyway, I doubt Kaiba would let us. I don't know what time he wants us out of here."

Yugi shrugged. "I guess we should try to be out by midday. I'm sure he will let us know if he wants us out before then."

"By the time we clear up the breakfast things and take showers it will probably be midday," Anzu checked her phone, it was getting on for eleven.

"We can put the stuff in the dishwasher and then take our showers together," he winked cheekily. "It would save time!"

"I thought you would be worn out after last night!"

"Not likely! Not when I have you all to myself!" He grinned.

Getting up and taking her hand, he steered them over to the sun lounger with his bowl of fruit salad. "In the mean time, we're going to relax for bit and enjoy Kaiba's hospitality." He grinned, popping a grape into his mouth and then popping one into her mouth.

Yugi placed the empty bowl down and took her hands in his. "Last night was really awesome," he smirked at her with that wicked glint in his eye. She was getting used to _that _smirk on him now and it made her tingle inside. "When I tell you how much I love you, I really mean it. It comes from deep inside here." He patted his chest over his heart. "In my eyes you are the most beautiful woman in the world."

At this point, Anzu was half expecting a marriage proposal, but it didn't come and she was almost disappointed.

After the passionate way they had loved each other last night she would say yes immediately.

Even though she didn't want children for a long time yet, she couldn't help wondering what it would be like to have Yugi's baby. What would their babies look like? His hair, her eyes? Maybe the other way around with his eyes and her hair. She almost rolled her eyes at herself. _Get a grip Mazaki!_ _Of course you don't want to get married and have kids, yet._ She was getting ahead of herself. She was going to New York, while he studied history and archaeology. They would have to conduct their relationship long distance. If they got married now, she would feel obliged to stay with him rather than go and follow her own dreams of becoming a dancer. It would lead to possible resentment, which could destroy their relationship. Yugi was thoughtful, he had most likely considered all the possible outcomes and even if he wanted to ask her to marry him, he would hold off for now. Anzu felt comfortable in trusting his judgement about the best time to ask her to marry him.

She blushed a little at what she had just been thinking. She couldn't imagine having these feeling towards anyone else. "I'm in love with you too Yugi. Even when I'm thousands of miles away in New York, I will still be thinking about us and how much I love you."

"Yeah, me too. I will be thinking about my love for you all the time," he promised.

In the near distance, the sound of delighted screams from the passengers on the roller coaster and other rides filled the air. The park was alive with activity. But the two young lovers on the penthouse roof garden, hardly noticed it.

* * *

**That was fun to write.**

**Next chapter will be Bakura preparing to leave for London. In the meantime, pleas leave me a review.**


	28. Chapter 28

This chapter is a bit of a filler. I am hoping to get the next one up in time for the 18th which is officially Anzu's birthday. I'm on holiday next week, so not sure how much time I will get to work on it so that it is good to read.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 28. A Day at the Beach.

There, done. Ryou clicked 'confirm payment.' He had just purchased his one way ticket to London Heathrow, leaving on August 22nd. Ryou sat back and took a nice long sip of his tea and paused to reflect on how the events of the last few years had changed him as a person.

Some people might have gone insane after everything he had experienced at the hands of his evil 3000 year old counterpart from the ring, but not Ryou. People always assumed he was a soft centred sissy boy, with his deep brown doe eyes, long white blonde hair and slender figure; he certainly appeared that way on the surface! But life events had left him hollow. Losing his little sister at a young age and then being possessed by the spirit of the ring was enough to damage anyone! And thanks to his fathers job as a curator of artefacts at various different museums around the world, he had never been allowed to settle anywhere long enough to get to know anyone. His shyness didn't help either and his self esteem took a battering when the other boys teased him for looking a bit girly.

When he came to Japan and vowed to make a real effort to fit in, the spirit that lived in that cursed ring his father had given him had almost alienated him again, by trapping the souls of anyone he tried to befriend, thinking, in some twisted way, that it would help fill the hollow void in Ryou's soul. How wrong could that idiot spirit have been? Trapping peoples souls was not the way to make friends.

If it had not been for Yugi and his friends showing Ryou Bakura genuine friendship, he probably would have gone insane with loneliness and quite probably ended his miserable life to spite the spirit- that's if the spirit would have allowed it!

Who knows what might have become of him? Which was why he knew he would miss the only people who had ever stuck by him.

Saying goodbye would be hard.

It was hot again today and Ryou had arranged to meet everyone at the bus station for a day on the beach. As usual he was running a little late and they were already there waiting for him.

"Hey, Kura! What kept ya man? Bus leaves in three minutes," Jonouchi slapped him on the back. It was a little too rough for Ryou's liking; he always found the boisterous straw blonde a bit much.

"Oh my gosh! Have I time to get my ticket?"

"Don't worry," Yugi said, waving a ticket under his nose. "We guessed you would be late so we got you one."

Right on time the bus pulled up and the teens got on.

"Tell me again, why didn't go by car?" Mai grimaced at the sticky lump of gum someone had stuck to the back of the seat in front of her. It was an example of why she hated using public transport. The bus was also packed full of people who smelled unpleasant to her.

Anzu, who had planned their day out and researched the easiest way for them to get there, explained to her. "Because the bus uses the bus lane to avoid the traffic jams, plus it saves us trying to find a parking spot. It gets very busy and the car parks fill up. So you will just have to grin and bear it Mai."

"Not to mention the parking is expensive at this time of year," Koji added. Over the last couple of weeks he had become part of their little group.

"You should have gone with Honda on his motorbike Mai," Yugi suggested.

"Yeah, It's at times like this I wish I still had mine," Mai pouted. The reference to motorbikes suddenly brought back memories of her time with Doma and for a few awkward moments they all went quiet before Jonouchi face palmed.

"Hey I forgot! Honda can't make it. His dog cut its foot on some glass early this morning and he's had to take her to the vet."

"You're hopeless Jonouchi! How could you forget to tell us something like that!" Anzu immediately sent a text to Honda, wishing his dog well.

Arriving at the beach, they found a suitable spot with enough available sun loungers to accommodate them all.

"How much?!" Jonouchi complained. "2000 Yen each! You gotta be kidding me! That's 12000 in total. Maybe we can make a deal."

"No deal," the attendant answered.

"Look honey," Mai was wearing a skimpy bikini and all but stuck her chest in his face. Using her feminine charm, she winked at him. "How about I give you 8000 Yen? It's not every day you get Mai Kujaku, Katsuya Jonouchi and the King of Games himself, Yugi Mutou hiring your loungers now, is it?"

The man spluttered and glared at them. "I don't give a stuff who the hell you think you are. I got more customers than I got loungers today."

"Hey, it doesn't matter." Yugi stepped forward. "I will pay for the loungers." He fixed the attendant with a disarming smile and pulled the cash from his wallet.

The attendant looked at him in disbelief. "Oh heck! You really are Yugi Mutou! My son is eight and he adores you. We took him to watch you duel at Kaibaland a couple of weeks ago. Look.. 10000 is the best I can do okay. I have a business to run and summer is when I make my money."

Yugi handed him the notes. "If your son is around, bring him over here to meet us," he smiled and bowed to be polite. The attendant bowed even lower in return and scurried off to hire out more sun loungers.

The two girls started unpacking their bags, spreading their towels out on the sun loungers.

"Last one in is a wimp," Jonouchi whooped loudly, stripping off down to his beach shorts.

Yugi and Koji followed suit, while Ryou hesitated; he had forgotten to put his beach wear on under his jeans and he wasn't sure he fancied getting in the sea anyway. There might be jelly fish or slimy weed and possibly even sharks!

"Idiots," Mai rolled her eyes, "they're like little boys.. Now we don't have a man to apply our sun lotion!"

"I don't think men ever grow up." Anzu laughed at the sight of the boys splashing each other.

"You okay Bakura? I thought you would be in the water with them. But I guess you prefer to be one of the girls eh!" Mai nudged him, causing him to blush.

Anzu gasped. "Mai! That was a mean thing to say. Don't listen to her Ryou, she's just teasing you. Of course we don't think you're a girl."

"He loves me teasing him, don't you hon?" If Ryou were gay, Mai would not be surprised.

"Don't worry, I'm not offended. Since I _am_ a man, I was going to offer to apply your sun cream for you." His face was now beetroot red.

Mai threw him the bottle. "Just on the back. I can do the front myself." He was so obviously terrified of women and even if he was gay she still didn't want him massaging her boobs.

He started to apply the lotion to Mai's back. "Ooh Ryou, you have such soft hands. You would make a very good masseuse," she said teasingly.

"W. well, I..I don't know. There, finished." He hastily handed her back the bottle.

"Here, let me do you?" She winked at him. "You have a lovely back. It would be a shame to see such delicate skin sunburnt."

"Mai!" Anzu was trying not to collapse with laughter. "You are outrageous sometimes."

Mai just shrugged. "You know me! I can't resist. You shouldn't get embarrassed so easily Ryou, then I wouldn't tease you." She patted his back. "All done."

They settled down to sunbathe and watch the three boys in the water play fighting and throwing a tennis ball at each other. Anzu was worried they would get sunburnt. She knew Yugi hadn't put any sun screen on this morning and she was pretty sure Jonouchi hadn't either.

Mai had almost drifted off to sleep when the boys came back. Jonouchi crept up to her and shook his wet hair all over her stomach.

"Aghhhh!" She screeched. "You idiot!" He collapsed in a fit of laughter.

"Don't you dare Yugi!" Anzu glared at him when he approached her with a naughty smirk on his face.

He sat down on the edge of her sun lounger and leaned forward and kissed her. "I wasn't even thinking about it," he lied.

"Dry yourself off. I need to put some sun cream on you before you burn." Yugi did as he was told and then sat down so that Anzu could apply the lotion to his torso.

"You can do my legs too." He stood up so that she could cream his legs for him.

"Who's hungry?" Jonouchi said suddenly.

"Any one fancy an ice cream?" Koji interjected. "My treat."

He and Jonouchi went off to the beach cafe to get each of them an ice cream.

"I was hoping Honda would be here as well so that I could tell you all together," Ryou began. "I have some more news about London." They all stopped licking their ice creams and looked at him. "As you all know, I will be going to medical school there. I wanted to be around to celebrate Anzu's birthday on the 18th, so I have booked my flight for August 22nd ."

After a few moments silence Yugi spoke first. "I suggest we make it a double celebration and give you a good send off."

"Yeah, and don't forget to keep in touch after you go," Anzu told him. "We will arrange to skype once per week. I want to know every little detail about England and the new friends you make."

"I bet you will have fun with all them English girls. I heard they know how to party," Jonouchi winked.

Ryou flushed. "Well, I'm not sure I will be into girls and parties. I'm there to study," he defended.

"You need to learn to live a little Bakura," Koji told him.

"What will you do for fun Bakura? We don't want to worry that you are on your own all the time." Yugi was concerned that he would shut himself away again.

"Well, I have an aunty living near Brighton, so I do plan to relax by walking on the South Downs and visiting the coast. British seaside resorts are unique with all their tacky souvenir shops and fish and chips served in newspaper."

"Yeah, and all them babes on the beach," Jonouchi smirked.

"I'm afraid there might not be too many beach babes, the weather can be quite unpredictable in England. Last time I went to the beach in Brighton, everyone was huddled up behind wind breaks to keep warm. It was July!"

"Don't like the sound of that! When I visited London last summer it was bloody hot!" Mai added.

"You never told me you went to England!" Jonouchi gasped.

"You never asked!"

Their conversation was interrupted when a young boy accompanied by the sun lounger attendant approached them. The little boy was grinning nervously and clutching a gaming magazine, which had a picture of Yugi on the front cover. Yugi recalled the magazine approaching him to do an interview a few weeks back, they had taken a couple of pictures of him for the cover but it appeared they hadn't used those and had instead chosen one of him taken while he was fighting against Kaiba during the finals of Battle City; you could see the holographic colosseum in the background. He hadn't even been aware of anyone taking photographs! And then it occurred to him that Kaiba had live streamed it at the time, so they had probably selected a screen shot of him. Atem had been in control, looking particularly focussed and with fire in his eyes. Yugi was unsure how he felt about it. On one hand he felt insulted that they had chosen a picture of his 'other self' dueling, but on the other, it made him feel nostalgic and slightly sad that Atem was no longer around to see it. The Pharaoh hated seeing pictures of himself used for advertising; he was strange like that! Yugi reasoned that the magazine had wanted an action shot and until the duels against Jonouchi and then Kaiba at the tournament last weekend, there had actually not been any film or images taken of him; they had all been of Atem! He ran his fingers over the picture lightly. Seeing it brought a slight lump of nostalgia to his throat.

He smiled and made a little chuckling sound. "I was just remembering when this was taken. It was during the Battle City finals. I had expected them to use a more recent picture of me."

"You look really awesome when you duel!" The boy exclaimed. Yugi always found it amusing that no one ever seemed to notice the subtle differences in his appearance when Atem took control of his body.

"Yeah, I did." He glanced up at his friends, catching the knowing looks in their eyes. Anzu placed her hand on his back and started to gently rub little circles.

"Can you sign it please?" The boys father handed Yugi a pen.

"Sure. What's your name?" He asked the boy.

"Satoru. I will be nine in two months," he beamed.

"Will you now!" He smiled. "Do you play duel monsters Satoru?" Yugi signed his name along with a short message.

"I try, but I'm not very good."

Yugi smiled at him. "If you keep practising then I'm sure you will improve and be a really good duelist one day. Would you like Mai and Jonouchi to sign the magazine too? They are also champions."

"Yes please..C.. can.." He looked up at his father for some support. He wanted to ask them to pose for a picture with him but was too shy.

"Satoru wonders if you would be kind enough to pose for a picture with him. If you don't mind?" The father asked.

"Yes of course we don't mind." Since he didn't feel it appropriate to pose for a photo bare chested, Yugi grabbed his t-shirt and pulled it on. Mai and Jonouchi followed suit.

One or two people noticed them posing for photos and soon realised who the group of teens on the beach were. Before long they sere surrounded by eager fans all looking to take selfies with their idols.

By the time they caught the late bus home they were all exhausted and pink from a day in the sun.

::::::::::::

"How is it going?" Koji had been summoned before Hirutani to give a progress report on his infiltration into Yugi's group of friends.

Koji shifted in his seat awkwardly. He could feel his palms sweating. "Pretty good. I went to the beach with them yesterday. They don't suspect anything." He swallowed the lump in his throat. He really wanted out, but didn't know what to say.

"Good... I get this damn tag off next week. No more house arrest, so I will be free to go back to Domino. The plan is to get him away from his friends and I'm relying on you to do that. Are you sure he trusts you fully?" Hirutani perused the notes Koji had produced detailing Yugi's daily routine.

"Yes," Koji nodded.

"Thursdays look good. You say he has to work in the shop and then usually goes out to meet his girlfriend from her ballet class."

"That's right. I helped him pack the mail orders last week so that he could get to meet her on time." He paused for a moment and then blurted out. "Look I'm having second thoughts about this. What do you plan to do to him?" His voice was full of stress.

Hirutani glared. "Unless you want to end up on the bottom of Tokyo Bay wearing a pair of concrete boots then you will do as I say," he snarled. "I have invested too much time and expense on getting you inside their little group. I don't like it when people let me down. You understand?"

Koji nodded. "It's just, well I have got to know him and he's a decent guy. He has tons of fans that love him and he's great with the kids. I just feel bad about him getting beat up so bad that he ends up a vegetable or something."

"That's not your concern. He and Jonouchi put _me_ in the hospital a few years back. And one of my loyal followers ended up in a wheelchair after that _decent__ guy_ pushed him off the roof. A few weeks ago the little runt put me in hospital again and made me a laughing stock. You deliver him to me when I say and then you can get the fuck away and we never see your face in Domino again, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," he sighed.

"Don't stuff this up. If you warn him, you die. This is my plan, memorize it then destroy it." He handed Koju a piece of paper with instructions for Thursday 27th August. "Deliver Yugi Mutou to me and then you are free."

Koji was in a bit of a daze at he got on the boat to cross the harbour and then catch the bus back to Domino. How the hell did he end up getting involved in gang violence. His parents would be so disappointed if they knew.

**I need to get moving on this plot as I am keen to conclude this story so that I can work on my new idea.**

**Please review.**


	29. Chapter 29

I know it has been a couple of weeks since I posted the last chapter. This is because I have been on holiday. I had hoped to get some writing done while I was away, but my mind went on vacation as well and I'm still struggling to get it to come back! I had major problems getting this right and kept changing it around until my head was spinning. So I just hope it is not too awful.

Anyway, this is it. I wanted to post it today because it is actually Anzu's birthday today, 18th August.

Warning: Some innuendo.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of its characters.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2.

Chapter 29. Happy Birthday Anzu.

Yugi was fussing. He didn't know what to get Anzu for her birthday and Jonouchi wasn't helping much either with his suggestions.

"I can't get her those!" They were wandering aimlessly around the huge department store where Mai worked and had ended up in the Ladies Lingerie department. Jonouchi was holding up a red and black lacy bra, with suspenders and the tiniest pair of panties Yugi had ever seen. "They're like something out of the Rocky Horror Show! She will hate them, I just know it."

"They ain't for her to like man, they are for her to wear for _you_ to like," Jonouchi grinned, holding them against himself and pouting in an attempt to look like an alluring woman. However, the smirk on his face was more dirty than attractive.

Yugi went bright red. "She would kill me if I gave her those! And put them back, people are looking at us. They think we're a pair of pervy weirdos." He wanted to run and hide.

Yugi jumped out of his skin when he heard a seductive voice behind him. "May I help you Sir?"

"Urk!" He spun round to find Mai grinning at him. "Oh Ra! I'm so going to the Shadow Realm," he groaned in a small voice.

"Lighten up Yugi," Mai winked. "Kimiko, who works in this department informed me you two were in here causing trouble. She's covering for me so I could come and sort you out. I'm guessing you don't know what to get for Anzu? I can assure you she won't like those, so I would suggest you put them back Jonouchi." Mai glared at him still holding the lacy black outfit against himself.

"You sure you don't want me to get them for you Mai?" Jonouchi grinned.

"They look lovely on you Jonouchi. Your boyfriend will love them," Mai retorted in such a loud voice, that other customers overheard what she said.

Jonouchi cringed with embarrassment, went bright red and stuck them back on the rail as quickly as he could. A lady nearby sniggered.

"What?! No, I ain't gay! She's my girlfriend... honest!" Somewhat flustered, he grazed past the amused shopper and latched on to Mai's arm.

Mai pushed him away. "You are not helping so beat it Jonouchi. I will help Yugi choose Anzu's gift."

"Alright... alright, I know when I'm not welcome. Smell ya later Yuge." He needed to get out of there anyway; people were looking at him strangely!

"I will meet you outside the main entrance once I have found something for Anzu, Jonouchi." Yugi felt a little guilty ditching his friend like this, but so far he hadn't really been much help.

Having got the message, Jonouchi left.

Mai placed her hand on Yugi's shoulder. "Come on Yugi, I have an idea of what Anzu might like. She was in here looking at the designer jewellery collection the other day."

"Oh yes!" He suddenly remembered. "She mentioned that she liked some earrings, but that they were too expensive."

"Yugi! How dense are you? She was dropping you an enormous great hint!" Mai took him to the jewellery department to show him the delicate dark blue and gold dangling ear rings that were almost 50'000 Yen. Yugi gulped when he saw the price of them. Could they really charge that much for earrings?

"What's the matter Yugi? Don't you want to get Anzu something nice?"

"It's not that. Look at the price? I didn't know this stuff could be so expensive!"

"Yugi! You are the King of Games, I thought you would be loaded. I mean, I have made quite a lot of money duelling and I'm nowhere near as successful as you are!"

"Oh, I've made enough to afford them, but I'm not sure if I should spend that much. What if my fame ends and I run out of money? I was saving it to put myself through Uni and to help Anzu out when she goes to New York."

It seemed he still needed some convincing. "All you have to do is appear on one or two of those TV shows that I know keep asking you, and you would make enough to buy a dozen pairs! So stop worrying about money. What's the point of earning it if you can't enjoy it?" Mai always loved spending her money on lavish things. In her opinion, Yugi needed to enjoy his wealth a little more.

When Yugi thought about it, Mai was right, perhaps he should enjoy the money he earned a little more. His mind was made up. "If you are sure she will like them, then I will get them," he agreed.

With his little box gift wrapped by the sales girl and tucked safely in the inside pocket of his jacket, he made his way home. When he gave his gift to her tomorrow, he was certain she would be delighted.

::::::::::::

Later that afternoon, Yugi made his way to Anzu's house with his gift neatly wrapped and tucked safely in his backpack.

Since her parents and Mai were all at work. Anzu had spent the afternoon alone, listening to music while sticking photos into a binder and writing little messages.

"What's that for?" Yugi enquired when he saw the photographs, glue and coloured pens spread all over the table.

"Bakura leaves for England in a few days so I thought I would make an album for him to take with him as a sort of keepsake. When it's finished I will get everyone to write him a message."

"Oh! That's a nice idea. I'm sure he will appreciate it." Yugi started thumbing through the photographs; they were mostly of the gang and their favourite hangouts. He laughed. "I remember this one! That was the day we got chucked out of the mall after Honda and Jonouchi tried to race each other up the down escalator! It was hilarious."

"Yeah, I thought so too. That's why I included it. Ryou said it was one of the few times that his horrible Spirit of the Ring let him hang out with his friends without interfering. Here's some more from that day." She handed him the two pictures she had managed to take of Honda and Jonouchi on the escalator, shortly before security had intervened. He chuckled as he looked at them.

Putting her pen down, she sighed. "I wish I had been able to make one of these books for Atem to take with him to the afterlife. Would he have even been able to take a book through the gates to the afterlife?" She wondered.

Yugi looked up a little taken back by her words. "I don't know! But I do know he doesn't need a book to remember us all."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. You can't forget someone who is part of your own heart." He wrapped a comforting arm around her, "So cheer up, you look sad. It's your birthday tomorrow! So you should be happy."

"Yeah, you're right Yugi. Spending the day on my own has given me too much time to think about everyone leaving."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere, Jonouchi and Mai are still here, so is Mokuba. Even Kaiba has been spending more time in Domino lately."

"I guess, but ever since Atem had to leave, it has made me think more about how fleeting our time here really is. In his short life he made such a difference to the world and most people will never know about the sacrifice he made so that they might have a future, and that's sad. And now it seems we're all growing up and changing and planning our own futures. As each year passes, the time we all spent together in our gang will seem like a distant memory. And I don't want to forget what he did for us all."

"You shouldn't be sad, the oth.. Atem wouldn't want that. Nothing can ever stay the same forever! If it did, I would still be the same dorky little guy in the corner that no one bothered with. If I had never solved the puzzle and met the other Me, I might still be like that!" He managed to get her to smile with his comment. "Everything that has happened to us over the last few years will stay with us all. It has made us who we are now and the strength we gained from it will help us with all the challenges we will face in the future."

"You always know what to say Yugi, that's one of the things I love about you. Although it would be nice if we could choose to keep some things as they are."

"You mean like the other Me?" He looked at her with a slightly sad frown. If Atem had stayed then she might have chosen him over Yugi.

Anzu noticed the way he looked at her and cuddled closer to him. "I notice you still refer to him as the other You. Do you still find it hard to call him by his real name?"

"Yeah, maybe, I'm not sure really." He was finding it hard to express how he truly felt. "Perhaps it's because by calling him the other Me it makes me feel like he hasn't really left us." He sighed. "I miss him Anzu. I guess you do too, which is why you wish he could have stayed. But then you would have had to choose which one of us you wanted to be with, wouldn't you?" He always tried not to dwell on that aspect of their relationship because it made him feel bitter and he hated feeling that way. He didn't want to believe that he could ever grow to resent his other self... No, Anzu was right to question him, he shouldn't call him that! His name was.. _is _Atem!

"It would have been nice for him to stay a bit longer, but no, I no longer wish he was still here. I would not have wanted to choose between you both, but I am glad that you are _just _you, so I guess that answers your question- it was you I _really _wanted all along." The more she had thought about it lately, the more ridiculous having a relationship with a 3000 year old Pharaoh had seemed! "Anyway, it would have been weird and unfair on both you guys to stay as you were; with Atem still trapped in the puzzle. No one should have to live like that; without a body of their own. He is where he should be, with his family and friends now. You never know, he might even have a girlfriend in the afterlife! I hope so, maybe Mana," she giggled. "They did seem kinda cute together."

Yugi smiled and kissed her on the end of her nose. It was always a relief for him to hear she would have chosen him over Atem. "Yeah, I hope they are happy. You know, he would kill me if I told you this, but I could sense his feelings and thoughts around Mana in the same way he could sense mine about you. And I can tell you, his thoughts were a bit naughty. He got pretty cross with me when I tried to tease him like he teased me about you!"

Pulling away slightly, Anzu fixed him with a smirk. "You mean our stoic Pharaoh had dirty thoughts about girls?!" In the past she had been horrified to hear about him having access to a harem, but it didn't bother her anymore.

"Well.. yeah! He is just a normal guy underneath that regal importance," Yugi defended. "All guys have..." He paused. "And, oh crap! I am just about to put my foot in my mouth!" His face started to flush, while Anzu's smirk grew wider.

"Oh! And what dirty thoughts do you have about me Yugi?" She was trying not to laugh.

"I..I..don't have..." He started to make some lame excuse but stopped when Anzu started to massage the back of his neck seductively. It felt nice, so he came back with his own seductive suggestion. "Maybe I can show you what my thoughts are..." He winked and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Do we have time before your mum gets home?"

Anzu shivered slightly at his suggestion, but then slumped at the realization that they might not have time. It was just past four in the afternoon. "I'm not sure where she is, she should be home from work by now! They would ban you from staying tonight if we got caught!"

"Shame," Yugi muttered between kisses. "We can make it quick! Listen out for your mum's car coming back."

"Yugi! When did you get so naughty?" She was warming to his suggestion though. "Well, if she comes home we could always say we were just setting up the futon for you." Yugi grabbed her hand and they rushed upstairs to her room.

Ten minutes later they froze when Anzu heard the front door open and close. "Shit!" Anzu muttered causing Yugi to look up startled. Lost in his lust, he had totally forgotten about Anzu's mother coming home.

Anzu had left the music playing away to itself. Her mother looked in all the rooms downstairs and noticed the book left out on the table. "Anzu! Are you home?" She called out, wondering where her daughter was.

The two startled teens were frantically pulling their clothing back on. "We're upstairs," Anzu called back. She looked at Yugi and grimaced. "I'm just sorting out the futon for Yugi." The pair of them started giggling with the embarrassment of getting disturbed. The futon was still folded up in its chair form.

"O.. Okay. I'm going to make a pot of tea. Would you both like some?"

"Yes please," Anzu replied. "We will be down in a moment." She hastily grabbed a pillowcase and sheet from the drawer under her bed while Yugi folded out the futon. Anzu set about spreading the sheet over the mattress, tucking it under neatly.

Feeling tense and frustrated at being disturbed, Yugi was struggling to put the pillowcase onto the pillow, eventually getting frustrated with it and throwing it onto the futon looking like a twisted mess. "Stupid pillow," he growled, "Women are so much better at doing this stuff." His unintentionally sexist remark caused Anzu to roll her eyes in annoyance. But she had to agree, she was doing a better job than he was. In the time it had taken him to make a mess of the pillow, she had fitted the sheet and placed the duvet neatly into its cover. It had surprised her just how hopeless some men were at this simple task. Her father didn't know how to make up a bed either!

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The following morning, Anzu woke at seven forty five. Being a naturally happy person, she always looked forward to the day ahead, but since today was her birthday she was feeling even happier than usual. Bright sunlight was shining in through a small gap in the curtains adding to her sense of joy.

Sitting up, she peered across to where Yugi was still fast asleep on the futon and smiled. He always looked so adorable when he slept.

It also amused her that he had insisted on remaining on the futon all night, despite her attempts to lure him into her bed for a cuddle. He was never one to go against authority.

Her father also had strong views about them sharing a room together while under his roof and it had taken a lot of pleading on Anzu's part for him to agree to let Yugi to sleep in her room. It was only after Yugi had given his word to her father, agreeing not take advantage of the situation, that he was allowed to stay. It helped that her parents had known Yugi for many years and had always liked and trusted him. They accepted that Yugi's word was his honour and knew he would not break it. Anzu had to admire Yugi for his resolve, even if it had meant them going without a night time cuddle.

A knock on the door brought her out of her reverie. The door creaked open to reveal her mother standing holding a try with two cups of tea. Anzu resisted rolling her eyes. She wondered if it was her father who had suggested her mother bring the tea to Anzu's room, so that they could be absolutely sure that Yugi had indeed slept on the futon. It irritated Anzu, because they never checked on Mai and Jonouchi's sleeping arrangements!

"Good morning sweetie. Happy birthday." Her mother was smiling, completely unaware of Anzu's irritation at the intrusion.

Her mothers voice disturbed Yugi and he started to stir. He half lifted his head and yawned, rolling onto his back and stretching out his arms, making a funny little groaning noise which both Anzu and her mother found amusing.

"What?!" He suddenly sat up and blinked at them, confused as to why they were both giggling like schoolgirls. He looked down at himself to make sure he was decent. It had been a hot night and he had stripped his shirt off and was just wearing a pair of loose cotton shorts. His bare chest wasn't that funny, was it?!

"We were just laughing at the way you woke up Yugi. It was kind of cute," Anzu informed him, making him blush.

"Anyway, when you are both ready, there is a pile of cards and presents downstairs for you to open Anzu." He mother placed the tray down on the night stand and left the room.

Yugi got up off the futon and reached into his back pack for the gift he had bought for Anzu. He went over to her bed and sat down next to her with a wide smile on his face. "Happy birthday." He kissed her cheek and handed her his gift.

"Ooh! What is it Yugi?" Her heart started beating faster at the sight of the small square package.

"Open it and find out," he said, full of anticipation.

She hastily ripped the shiny pink wrapper to reveal a deep blue velvet covered box. "Oh Yugi! They are beautiful. How did you know I wanted these?!"

His face went pink and he took on a bashful look. "I thought, since you got your ears pierced a few weeks ago you might like them." He sucked on his bottom lip; he couldn't lie. "Mai helped me choose. She said you were looking at them the other day."

Anzu nodded. "But they are so expensive Yugi, you shouldn't have!"

He silenced her with a kiss. "But I wanted to," he said firmly as he pulled away. Anzu nodded her acceptance of the gift.

"Thank you. I love them." She leant over and kissed his cheek. Having fallen in love with them, only to be put off by the price when she had seen them in the store, Anzu was over the moon and felt honoured and amazed that he had bought them for her. It was tempting to tell him off for spending so much money, but Anzu knew better than to burst his bubble by complaining. It was obvious that giving her this gift was a gesture of his love for her; why else would a boy give a girl such an expensive gift?

Suddenly overcome with emotion, she flung her arms around him and hugged him. She loved him so much and felt lucky to have him in her life.

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**Please review.**


	30. Chapter 30

I decided to do a little chapter all about Ryou Bakura. It is fun exploring his background and thinking up ways in which the spirit of the ring might have screwed his life up for him. In canon, his character was always dominated by his alter ego and the only time we ever saw Ryou, he was portrayed as a bit drippy and timid. Personally, I think he might have had a lot of issues in dealing with the torture he suffered at the hands of the Thief Kings spirit! I would like to think that he had the courage within him to bounce back though, as he always appeared to be positive in canon.

I know he was portrayed as English in the anime but I don't ever remember his nationality being mentioned in the manga! I'm happy to go with him being half English though, and since he has a Japanese name, half Japanese. In my own head canon, he might even go back to England to study medicine. For some reason I have it in my head that he would become a doctor.

Anyway, here it is.

P.S... I don't own Yugioh.

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Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 30. Goodbye Bakura.

Sweeping his gaze around the apartment for one last time, Ryou Bakura sighed. He was going to miss this place. Yes, it held some awful memories; like the time Yugi and his friends came round to play Monster World, only to have his horrible alter ego take over and imprison their souls inside the little figurines he had so intricately designed for them to use as their game pieces.

Anzu still kept the diorama he made for them afterwards as a memento. It held pride of place on the dresser in her room, which made Ryou chuckle at the irony. Those little figures had almost been their tombs! If Yami Yugi had lost the game to Yami Bakura and no one had found them, their bodies would have eventually decomposed where they had lain, slumped over the gaming table, leaving his own evil counterpart free to steal his identity and raise that demonic creature- Zorc. The thought made him shudder. Thank the Gods the other Yugi had succeeded in defeating him!

The Thief King had been so cruel and seemed to love torturing Ryou and his family and also his friends. He had caused so much trouble for Ryou that his parents had been forced to keep moving him to different schools to avoid suspicious accusations. They reached breaking point when the psychiatric counsellor employed by his parents to help him also ended up in a coma. Because of this, he took the decision to move away from his family to spare them any further stress. His mother was not happy about him moving away, but they had supported his decision and paid for the rent on his apartment.

When his parents came to visit him to ensure he was coping, his alter ego possessed him and been so vile towards them that it damaged their relationship beyond repair and resulted in his father had disowning him.

His own memory of that dreadful day was sketchy and his parents wouldn't tell him what he said and did! But he was pretty sure it had something to do with his father's extra marital affairs, which Ryou had found out about by accident. He had been walking through a rather seedy part of Domino; something he found himself doing quite a lot since he had begun wearing the ring. He had spotted his fathers car parked outside a house known to be a brothel. The spirit had typically picked up on Ryou's anxiety about it, taken possession of his body and gone into the establishment, using his 'influence' to convince the owner to allow him to spy on his father and take photographs on Ryou's phone! To use, not for blackmail, but to humiliate and break up Ryou's family.

While at the brothel, the Thief King had also used Ryou's body to satisfy his own carnal desires without his consent. It made Ryou feel dirty and used and he still felt repulsed when he thought about it.

Thanks to _him _his parents were now divorced and his mother had gone back to her family in England. His father had continued to pay his rent but would not have anything to do with him.

Bad memories aside, he had enjoyed the last six months in this apartment. The gang would often come round loaded with junk food and they would spend the night watching films- everything from soppy romance and comedies, to Sci fi and horror. They had forgiven him for all the bad things the Thief King's spirit had made him do. However, they had banned him from using his ouija board! Which was a shame, Ryou still loved holding seances in the hope that he could one day reach his beloved sister, Amane.

The honking of a car horn made him jump. He looked over the balcony to see Jonouchi's pick up truck parked outside ready to take him to the airport.

He waved to Jonouchi to let him know he had heard and locked the door for one last time. picking up his bags, he dragged them into the elevator. When he arrived in the entrance hall he deposited the keys in the key safe and left.

"Yo! Kura. You okay dude?" Jonouchi enquired as he hopped out of the truck to help with the bags.

Ryou wiped away a tear. "Yes Jonouchi, I'm fine. I was just remembering all the things that happened in that apartment. Good and bad!"

"Yeah, I remember the first time we came to see you." He shivered at the thought. "We nearly lost our souls! If it hadn't been for the other Yugi saving us I dread to think what might have happened to us! It was the first time we had seen the other Yugi and we had no idea back then that he was a Pharaoh!"

Ryou snorted. "My spirit was a vicious criminal and did some things that I don't want talk about. But you have all been so kind to me and you have never judged me, I don't deserve to have such good friends. Thank you."

There was a moment where Jonouchi wanted to say something comforting, but the words got stuck in his throat. Ryou's expression suddenly changed from sad to a forced smile and he threw open the door and jumped into the car.

Jonouchi guessed that he didn't want to dwell on the negatives and decided not to say anything else about it. He strolled round to the drivers side and climbed in.

Grimacing, Ryou took out a tissue and wiped a splodge of tomato ketchup off the upholstery. He didn't want _that_ staining his pale blue jeans. "Do you ever clean up in here Jonouchi?" He wrinkled his nose at the smell.

"Aw sorry man, I grabbed a burger on the way here." He reached over and pulled the wrapper from under Ryou's feet and threw it over his shoulder onto the back seat. "We gotta go pick up Yugi and Anzu, then we can head to the airport." Bakura shook his head in amusement, no wonder Mai refused to ride in Jonouchi's car.

When they arrived at the airport, Mai and Honda were already there. Mai had just bought a new motorbike and she and Honda had ridden there together.

The final call for Ryou's flight was announced. "Well, I guess I really should be going," he smiled sadly.

Anzu launched herself at him and gave him a big hug and kissed his cheek, making him blush. "We will miss you Ryou. Now promise me you will ring as soon as you get there?"

"Yes, I promise Anzu." He hugged her back and tentatively kissed her cheek.

The boys were less gentle with him, clamping him on the back instead of kissing him! Jonouchi's bear hug was so tight that Ryou thought his ribs would crack and he was sure the slaps on his back would bruise. "Well, good bye everybody." He had been determined not to cry, but was unable to stop his eyes welling up. A big tear rolled down his cheek. "Thank you all for being so kind to me." He meant it too. They had helped him through his darkest days when he had lost his mind to the spirit of the ring, had faith in him when he had lost all faith in himself. Without their support, he doubted he would still be sane.

As the aeroplane taxied out and prepared to take off, Ryou sat in his window seat and smiled as he looked out of the small porthole. Once in the air, he watched as the ground below got smaller and smaller. Soon the land was gone and all he could see was the vast ocean below. _Goodbye Japan, Goodbye my friends. I am sure we will meet again. _He sat back and closed his eyes, prepared for the long journey ahead.

::::::::::::

The ride home from the airport felt strange. "It's gonna be weird without Bakura around," Jonouchi stated. "I kinda liked the dude. Even if he could be a bit weird with the occult stuff at times!"

"Yeah, I was just thinking the same," Yugi responded. "I hope he will be okay, I worry about him. The spirit of the Thief King made his life hell. He confided in me once. I think he wanted to know if my other self did anything... you know.. with women. I told him that the other Me would never behave that way. When Atem got his memories back he told me some of the stories about the Thief King's activities from when he was Pharaoh. It was stomach churning."

"You don't need to tell me Yuge, I got a pretty good idea. That spirit was a sick bastard! Bet he did some perverted things!" He sniggered. "No wonder our Bakura was so nervous."

"More than you can imagine," Yugi sighed.

"Don't say such awful things Jonouchi. I don't want to think about poor Ryou being made to do dirty things like that!" Anzu scolded him angrily.

"Sorry! You're right Anzu, I will shut the fuck up!" Jonouchi agreed.

"And don't swear either! If you weren't driving I would slap you," Anzu said sternly.

"It's my fault, I brought it up," Yugi admitted. "So I'm the one who should say sorry."

"Yes, well don't mention it again Yugi, It's upsetting to think about." Anzu frowned at him so he reached over and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Our Bakura is stronger than you think Anzu. He had to be to overcome everything that was done to him. Becoming a doctor is his way of making up for all the bad things his other self did," he said reassuringly.

::::::::::::

After a long twelve and a half hour flight, Bakura finally arrived in London Heathrow at four in the afternoon local time. He felt somewhat out of kilter because it would now be midnight in Japan, but he had experienced feeling much worse than this several times before when the Thief King's spirit used to take over his body; sometimes for a whole night! So jet lag felt nowhere near as bad.

The most unpleasant thing about the long journey was his mouth feeling stale and dry. He was also badly in need of a nice, long hot shower and a shave. He popped some gum into his mouth to freshen it up a bit.

It was extremely busy and took fifteen minutes to get through immigration. Luckily for Bakura his duel nationality meant that he didn't have to queue in the even longer queue for foreign nationals.

The delay in passport control meant that by the time he arrived in baggage reclaim, the bags from his flight were already being loaded onto the carousel. He didn't have to wait long for his heavy suitcase. Grabbing it, he heaved it onto a trolley and headed out to where his aunty Val should be waiting for him.

It had been four years since he had last seen his aunty Val and he hoped they would still recognize one another! However, he was in for a bit of a shock when he emerged from customs. It was not his aunty whom he spotted waiting for him but his mother! Did this mean she had forgiven him?!

Swallowing down the emotional lump in his throat, he made his way over to her. "M. mother!"

"Ryou! You look well," she smiled nervously. The last time she had seen him, he had looked awful. His hair had been wild and unkempt and he had a worryingly insane look about him. Ever since his father had given him that dreadful gold artefact from Egypt, he had appeared cursed.

She had been so concerned that he had been suffering from some form of schizophrenia brought on by an ancient Egyptian curse, that she had tried to help him. But he had rejected her offer and she had been so afraid of him that she had fled his apartment in terror! They had not seen each other since.

It was her sister who had informed her that Ryou had been in touch, asking for somewhere to stay while he studied medicine in London. Her sister was unaware of the extent of his so called 'mental illness' and had called to tell her how delighted she would be to have her nephew to stay.

"I am so proud of you Ryou." It was slightly awkward as she stepped forward and tentatively hugged him. "Are you, you know... feeling better?"

"Thank you mother." He hesitantly returned the embrace. "I can assure you that I am no longer unwell."

"You no longer wear that.. thing?!" She rubbed her hand over his chest. "Thank god.. I told your father it was cursed. Why else would such a gentle, loving boy become so.. so violent."

Ryou gasped at this. "You thought I was cursed?! I _will_ tell you everything that happened... but I don't want to about it talk here." It seemed that he could at last tell her the truth about what had happened to him.

The atmosphere during the journey was slightly tense. They made some small talk and caught up on what each other had been up to in the year and a half since they had last seen each other.

The rush hour traffic was heavy and it was nearly two hours before they arrived at her home just north of Chichester, in the picturesque village of Lavant. Both were in need of a nice cup of tea.

As they sat down to drink their brew, he told his mother about the blackouts he had experienced after he had been given the ring, and how it was the reason people had suddenly gone into comas after meeting him. He also told her about the other Millennium items and their wielders. He explained that 3000 years ago a young Pharaoh had defeated the thief, who had been under the influence of a demon from the underworld that was using the thief to resurrect him. The Pharaoh had defeated them by giving his own life to seal his soul along with that of the thief and the demon inside the items. When Yugi solved the puzzle the battle began again, only this time the demon was destroyed, Bakura was banished to whatever fate the Gods bestowed and the Pharaoh's soul was freed to the afterlife.

His mother was speechless as she took it all in and after taking a moment to process everything, she was full of regret. "I wish we had never given you that damn ring. Didn't you think to get rid of it yourself?"

"I tried to get rid of it but it always found its way back to me and punished me if I tried to take it off!" She gasped when he showed her the scars on his chest where it had dug itself into his flesh. "I know I did some terrible things under its influence mother, but I have almost no memories. I only know what I did, because I saw the aftermath and had to clear up the mess, or because my friends told me what I did! I feel so ashamed. Father won't have anything to do with me after what the spirit did."

"Well, I blame your father for everything. If he hadn't cheated. If he hadn't brought that damn thing home in the first place, our family would still be together and Amane..." She paused at the awful memory of the car accident that had claimed his sister's life. The accident had happened on the way home from the airport after she had gone to pick up her husband. It was also the day he brought the ring home. She had never thought to blame the ring before, but in light of what Ryou had just told her, she was beginning to wonder if it _was_ just an accident! Feeling nauseous, she gasped and placed her hands over her mouth. "The accident!"

"Mother! What about the accident?" He had been seven at the time and was at school when it happened.

She shook her head to clear it. And mumbled "Your father changed after he came home from Egypt. I blamed the change in him on the accident, but now, I am pretty certain the ring changed him, influenced him in some way. He insisted that when you turned sixteen, you were to have it. I never understood why he was so obsessed. It was after he gave it to you that all your problems started."

Silence fell on them for a moment and Ryou felt a hollow pit of nausea forming as his thoughts started to run wild. Had the ring somehow manipulated the accident to happen? He hadn't known that the ring was in the car when the accident happened! It couldn't just be a coincidence.

After some time Ryou spoke. "You have never talked to me about the accident. If it is too painful I will understand, but I would like to know."

Since the accident a cloud of sadness had hung over the Bakura family. His father had become obsessed with his work and spent long hours at the office to avoid going home. "Part of me died that day. But you were close to your little sister and have a right to know." She closed her eyes as she re-lived that fateful day.

"The weather was bad. It was raining so hard and visibility was so poor. A van was going too fast and to avoid the flooding, swerved into our lane. I couldn't react in time and lost control. The car flipped into a ditch and the belt holding Amane's car seat in place broke. She was thrown from the car and..." His mother started sobbing. "Th.. they.. s. said, the mechanism... f..failed.."

Ryou clenched his fists and went pale. Was it possible that the ring could have caused it to fail?

For the first time in his life, a feeling of anger and hatred flooded through him to the point where it was frightened of himself. He hoped that Bakura's spirit and the creature Zorc, were rotting in hell! Were these the same feelings of hatred that had turned the Thief King Bakura into the vicious, vengeful killer he became after his village and family were slaughtered?

Tears began to roll down his cheeks as he reached for his mother. Together, they sobbed in each others arms.

After some time they pulled apart. "I am glad we have talked. Maybe we can put the last few years behind us.. start over. It is unhealthy to keep dwelling on the things we cannot change." Her words somehow comforted him. She smiled and brushed his hair away from his tear stained face. "Your hair is so long. My beautiful boy, you always had such lovely hair." Her comment made him blush.

"Yes, you are right. It will do no good to dwell. To do so will only poison our souls and lead to depression. I want to become a doctor and save lives so that other people don't have to go what our family did. I know it won't bring Amane back, but it helps make things better."

It was time to forget about the spirit of the ring. Wherever Akefia Bakura was now, good riddance to him. Ryou Bakura would be the one to atone for his ancestors sins.

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**Phew! I found that quite hard to write. I must have changed it 100 times!**

**I would love to know what you think.**


	31. Chapter 31

It is time for the final showdown with Hirutani!

Warning: Expect some violence and bad language. After all, it is a street gang we're dealing with.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

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Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 31. Betrayed.

A large shipment had arrived early this morning, and thanks to his grandfather's dodgy back, Yugi had been woken up early and asked to take the boxes left at the entrance to the shop by the delivery driver, into the stockroom at the back of the shop and unpack them. _All this bending and lifting!_ _No wonder Grandpa has a bad back! _Yugi thought as he began moving them.

He was glad he had grown a fair bit and had been working out. He was a lot stronger, it made lifting and moving them far easier. He still wished his friends were here to help though as having someone to laugh and joke around with made the task less tedious.

All his friends were busy working today. Mai was working on the perfume counter of the exclusive department store, Jonouchi was doing a shift at the supermarket warehouse, Honda was at an Army Cadet training camp and Anzu was having a driving lesson first thing this morning and would pop round afterwards to help out, before going to her ballet lesson in the afternoon. And of course, Bakura was now in England. Yugi hoped that he was settling in okay. He had certainly given the impression that he was happy when he had skyped Anzu the other day. They would be going back to school in a weeks time and Yugi figured that when they saw his empty desk, the realization that he was gone would really hit them. At the moment it just felt like he had gone on vacation.

"Oh by the way! Yugi." His grandfather suddenly appeared from upstairs, ready to open up the shop for the day. "Can you leave that white box? It contains the new Duel Monster booster packs, they will need to be put into the display racks."

"Okay Grandpa," Yugi sighed, shifting boxes around so that he could get to the one his grandfather wanted. "Where do you want me to put it?"

Sugoroku pointed to a place on a foot stool behind the counter. "If you leave it there so I can unpack it without having to bend too much. I don't want to over do it in this heat, it's not good for my old ticker," he joked.

Yugi did as his grandfather asked, placing the box on the stool. "Yeah, I'm sweating already and it's only nine o'clock!" It was a hot, humid August day. Yugi was only wearing a vest, shorts and a pair of canvas deck shoes, and he was already working up quite a sweat. Beads of moisture covered his forehead, making his golden bangs stick disgustingly to his face. His T-shirt felt wringing wet and was sticking to his skin.

He began helping Sugoroku unpack the new card packs so that he could take a sneak peek at the contents, only to be chased away when a bead of sweat dripped off his nose onto one of the boxes. "Sorry Grandpa! It was an accident," he said sheepishly. "I will buy it for myself since it's soiled."

His grandfather relented. "Don't worry my boy, take it. You are hard working and I couldn't run the shop properly without your help."

"Are you sure?!" Yugi was surprised, his grandfather hated giving anything away for free. "Thanks Grandpa!" A big grin appeared on his face as he dashed off to put the pack away in his room.

"Yes! Now hurry up, before I change my mind. I need these boxes moved out of the shop and into to the storeroom," Sugoroku shouted after him, chuckling as memories of when Yugi was a little boy came back too him. Yugi would look at him and plead with those large amethyst and plumb coloured eyes when he saw a game he wanted. Unable to resist, Sugoroku would eventually give in and little Yugi would beam with delight at his victory and scurry away to play with his new toy.

::::::::::::

With the last of the boxes moved, Yugi sat down on an upturned crate and drained the last of his iced tea. He was relieved when Anzu appeared with a fresh bottle of water for him. "Hi Yugi! Your grandfather said you would want this." She offered him the bottle.

He stood up and took the 500ml bottle of ice cold water, gratefully. "Thanks Anzu. How was your driving lesson?"

"Pretty good, I should take my test soon."

"Yeah, you will breeze through it Anzu." He unscrewed the lid on the bottle and gulped it straight down, causing Anzu to frown.

"Slow down Yugi! You will give yourself stomach cramps if you gulp it down like that!" She noticed the way his Adams Apple bobbed as he swallowed the water. Her eyes were then drawn to the way the black muscle shirt he was wearing clung to his sweaty skin, adding definition to his lean, lightly muscled frame. She couldn't help looking at how his pectoral muscles and nipples showed through the wet, clingy material. Weren't women supposed to find the rugged, sweaty workman look sexy? There was certainly something primitive in her own feelings right now! Anzu quivered slightly and tried to convince herself that sweaty men were not in the least bit attractive. Feeling flustered and blushing slightly, she laughed. "You look a bit hot! Not hot, hot, more sweaty hot." She felt stupid for saying something so daft.

He laughed and raised his eyebrows at the slightly flustered look of distaste on her face. She looked cute with her nose all wrinkled up and he was tempted to cuddle her, but thought better of it. "Yeah, it's way too hot for physical work today. But I have done all the heavy stuff. All I have to do now is unpack these boxes. I have no idea what all this stuff Grandpa has ordered could be, but since Rebecca helped us design a new web site for the shop and we finally persuaded Grandpa to do internet sales, business has trebled. This stuff is most likely for mail order and the items will have to be packed and shipped."

It irritated Anzu that she still felt annoyed whenever Rebecca was mentioned. But the young teen still unashamedly made her crush on Yugi obvious and was continuing to send him soppy messages, even having the audacity to tell Yugi to ditch Anzu! What angered Anzu was that Yugi just laughed it off and told Rebecca not to be so envious. Not to be so envious! What the hell did that mean? Yugi had been sheepish when Anzu asked him why he didn't just tell her she was too young and he was not interested, so she should stop pestering him. Anzu got the impression that he was flattered by the attention and perhaps even enjoyed it when Anzu got possessive towards him. "you're going to be busy then. I wish I could stay and help you. Have you got anyone to help?" She tried not let clipped tones creep into her voice at the mention of Rebecca.

Yugi didn't appear to notice anything and chatted cheerfully. "Yes, Koji has offered to help with the packaging and shipping. He's coming round about two. I will go and have a quick shower and then we can have some lunch. I could do with a break."

Anzu smiled and leaned over to scrape his sweaty bangs, which were irritating her, from his cheek. Their eyes met for a moment and they both smiled. Yugi leaned forward so their lips could meet.

While Yugi was having his shower, Anzu helped his mother prepare the lunch of salad vegetables, rice balls and sea food salad. Yugi emerged ten minutes later looking refreshed, in a clean, pale yellow tee shirt and dark blue cotton shorts. His hair had been towel tried and instead of being neatly styled into his trademark spikes, was fluffy and uncombed which Anzu thought looked rather cute. She couldn't resist styling it for him, and he was happy to let her.

After lunch, they started unpacking the boxes. Anzu didn't have to leave straight away and was able to stay for a while to help with the unpacking. They were in for a bit of a shock when they unpacked the first box.

After Yugi had sliced a knife through the packaging tape so that Anzu could begin unpacking the contents, he left her while he went to boot up the computer in order to print off the address labels for the customers who had placed orders.

When Anzu pulled out the first layer of bubble wrap and lifted the first neatly packed item out of the box, she let out an amused shriek making Yugi jump up and come running back into the store room. "Anzu! What's...?" He stopped dead and his jaw almost hit the floor. "No way! When Grandpa suggested... I thought he was pulling my leg! It's horrible!"

Anzu giggled holding up the approximately eight inch die cast plastic model of Yugi. "Oh... I think he is.. you are... rather cute. I think I will buy one myself!" She teased, holding up the little statue.

He covered his face with his hand and groaned. "Why would you want a model of me when you have the real deal?! It's creepy."

She laughed. "I'm only teasing, but you have to admit, they are a pretty good likeness."

"I am surrounded by mini versions of myself and my girlfriend thinks they are cute and prefers them to the real thing! It's a nightmare, please tell me I'm going to wake up in a minute and find out it is not real." He slapped his hand against his cheek "Nope it's real.." He let out a sigh and his body sagged in resignation, making Anzu chuckle.

"Well, they don't snore and they are not stubborn or untidy like the real thing," she giggled her reply.

"Hey! I'm not any of those things.."

Entering the store room, Suguroku chuckled when he heard their banter. "What do you think Yugi? Rather lifelike aren't they? Now you can see I was not teasing you when I suggested that selling models of you would be a good idea. And I was right, we sold roughly five hundred in the first two days of advertising and the orders keep coming. I am trying to negotiate a deal to market mini Kaiba's, but so far he is not keen." He scratched his beard in contemplation. "So I think I might see if there is an interest in Mai and Jonouchi figures."

"Grandpa!" Yugi gasped. "They look nothing like me! How could you?" His face was bright red, and not just from the heat!

"Actually Yugi, I think they are really good. They have sort of captured your likeness really well," Anzu interjected.

"Why me?!" He sighed, exasperated.

"Because you are the King of Games and whether you like it or not Yugi, you are famous and are worth a lot of money." Sugoroku patted his grandson on the shoulder. "If I told you we make roughly 5000 Yen per unit, would you change your mind?"

Yugi narrowed his eyes challengingly at his grandfather but remained silent.

"I will give you a percentage of the profits," Sugoroku offered.

"Maybe.." Yugi was trying not to smile. "I guess they could grow on me." He picked one up and looked it over. The detail was good, right down to the studs on his belt and shoes. "How much will you give me?"

::::::::::::

Today was the day Hirutani planned to exact his revenge on Yugi. A meeting was being held at an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the dockland area of Domino. Due to the economic downturn, several of the units were now empty and the one they had chosen used to be a truck service centre, but it was now empty, bar a couple of ramps and a few old, empty oil cannisters and thread bare truck tyres. It also had the advantage of not being visible to the CCTV cameras because it was shielded by numerous empty shipping containers.

The orders to Koji, were to bring Yugi here by any means. The plan Koji had hatched was that when they took the packages to the mail depot, which was near the entrance to the docks, he would tell Yugi he needed to call at the garage to collect some parts from a friend who worked there.

At two o'clock Koji arrived at the game store. He saw the Mutou's family car parked on the driveway at the rear of the building and immediately came up with a better idea. No one was about, so he took out his Swiss Army knife, pulled out the screwdriver and rammed it into one of the rear tyres. When he pulled it back out the tyre let out a hiss and went flat. He pocketed the knife and putting on a nervous, forced smile, he walked round to the shop's entrance and went inside to help Yugi with the mail order packaging as promised.

By the time he arrived, Anzu had already left for her ballet class and he found Yugi boxing up the 'Yugi dolls' as Anzu had nicknamed them.

At four thirty, Yugi decided that they had done enough for the day and suggested to Koji that they load up the car and take them to the mail depot for shipping, before it closed to the public for the day.

Yugi didn't seem to notice Koji biting his bottom lip nervously when they started loading the packages into the trolley in order to transport them out to the car.

"Oh, no..How did that happen?" Yugi sighed when he wheeled the trolley outside only to discover the car had a flat tyre. "Now what do we do?" He had never changed a tyre before and had no idea what to do.

"I can change the wheel Yugi," Koji informed him. "I will do it while you bring the rest of the parcels out to the car. You have a spare in the boot, don't you?"

"Erm.. yeah, I guess." He opened the boot and they checked the condition of the spare tyre. It was a get you home tyre, so could not be used long term.

"This tyre is okay to use temporarily Yugi. I suggest that we put the old one in the boot and after we have been to the post office, we can visit the garage where my friend works and he can mend the tyre for you. I will ring him and let him know we're coming." It was all going to plan. Koji felt sick to the stomach with guilt and remorse as he dialled Hirutani's number, pretending it was the garage he was calling.

"Since he's a friend, he is happy to fix it for you free of charge Yugi."

"Okay, that would be great, thanks Koji," Yugi said happily, making Koji feel even worse. "Will the tyre be okay for us to pick Anzu up from ballet on the way? Only I said I would meet her."

_Oh shit! _Koji hadn't wanted to include the girl in this! He dreaded what Hirutani and his thugs might do to her. "Y..yeah, I suppose." His voice faltered and came out forced., causing Yugi to give him a strange look.

"Are you sure the tyre is okay? Only.. you don't sound too sure," Yugi enquired.

"No.. Yes, it's fine." As soon as the tyre was changed and the car loaded up, Yugi hopped into the drivers side and they drove off to the dance studio in relative silence. Yugi tried to make conversation but Koji was too nervous to respond much and gave short mono toned answers for fear of his voice sounding shaky.

After a wait of around five minutes, Anzu came bounding out and climbed into the rear passenger seat.

The rear compartment of the blue hatchback vehicle had been half folded down and was stacked with the neatly packaged Yugi dolls, so she had to squeeze into the small space they had left for her to sit. "Hi Yugi, Koji. Sheesh, you could have left me more room guys!"

"Sorry Anzu, we needed to pack in as many as possible. There's still loads more waiting to be packaged!" Yugi groaned at the thought of spending tomorrow parcelling up even more mini versions of himself! He would be seeing himself in his sleep at this rate!

By the time they arrived at the post depot, Koji had gnawed the skin around his thumb until it was raw.

"Are you okay Koji?" Anzu enquired. "You seem awfully quiet."

"Yeah, I'm just a bit tired and have a headache. This hot weather is getting to me, it's really close. Looking at the clouds, I think we are due a storm."

Both Yugi and Anzu agreed with him. It had been very hot and humid the last few days and thunder storms had been forecast for this evening.

"Okay, that's the last of the packages. Now where is this garage your friend works at?" Yugi said jumping back into the car.

Koji instructed him to drive along Quayside Road. The route took towards the same disused dock where Yugi had been forced to duel against his best friend Jonouchi, in Marik's sadistic game.

Anzu gulped at the memory of being used as a pawn to force Yugi to duel. "Are you sure this is the right place Koji?" She enquired.

"Yeah, I don't like it round here very much!" Yugi added. "It brings back bad memories. I didn't think there were any businesses here, I thought most of the warehouses were either empty or just used for storage."

"Nah, some of the units are rented out real cheap to people trying to start their own businesses," he lied. "Turn right just along here."

"Oh! Okay." Yugi did as instructed and turned right into rather rough service road that ran between the stacks of shipping containers and the warehouse. After about 400 metres he realised it was a dead end. "Are you sure? I don't see anything here. I think we're lost!" He put the car in reverse and went to back up.

As soon as he looked over his shoulder to reverse he noticed three rough looking dudes standing in the way. Two were holding baseball bats. "Oh Shit!" They were in trouble. "We need to get out of here now! I think we have intruded on a gangs turf!"

"What!" Anzu turned to look through the rear window at the three men who were advancing on them. "Yugi! Reverse! Run them over or something. Just get us out of here?" She screamed.

He put his foot down hard and the wheels span on the gravel as he shot backwards. The three men jumped aside and threw down a stinger. The back wheels hit it and the tyres immediately burst causing Yugi to lose control and the car skidded sideways to a halt.

Through all this commotion, Koji was riddled with guilt. He gripped the sides of the passenger seat so hard his knuckles went white. What had he done? His loyalty had been misplaced. He had knowingly lead two good people who had befriended him, trusted him, into a trap from which they would be unlikely to survive without serious injury, or worse. Was there anything he could do to save them?

Yugi's blood ran cold when he saw Hirutani and four more of his henchmen step out from the warehouse. Yugi recognised two of the others from the fight at the mall. He had broken one of the men's arm. Putting two and two together, he glanced accusingly at Koji. "Koji! What have you done?" It came out as a deep angry growl.

Koji gulped, fearful of the accusation and coldness in Yugi's voice. Unable to form words, he remained quiet and stared at his knees.

Anzu was losing her composure. "Koji! Why? We thought you were our friend, we trusted you. How could you do something like this?!

"S..sorry. I. I... Hirutani left me no choice," he whimpered.

"There is always a choice," Yugi barked, fear and anger now dominating his voice.

The occupants of the car jumped when a baseball bat was slammed down on the bonnet of the car.

"Get out of the car," one of the thugs ordered. The three terrified occupants ignored the request and stayed put.

"I..said..get out NOW!" The thug slammed the bat into the windscreen causing it to crack and bow inwards slightly. Yugi and Koji both gasped and ducked their heads.

A hand grabbed at the drivers door handle and tried to pull it open, but Yugi had made sure the doors remained locked.

Full of rage, Hirutani stepped forward and snatched the baseball bat from his comrade and slammed it repeatedly into the drivers side window until it broke. Meanwhile, a terrified Yugi had unbuckled his seatbelt and scrabbled over the back to where Anzu was now shaking and crying. He wrapped his arms round her and they clung to each other as blows rained down on the car windows until they were all smashed. Koji had also curled up into a ball to avoid being cut by glass fragments.

A hand reached in and turned off the ignition, releasing the central locking.

Yugi felt himself roughly grabbed by the arms and torn away from Anzu as he was hauled, struggling and kicking out of the car. Anzu was grabbed from the other side and wrenched away from him as she too was pulled out of the car, roughly.

Shell shocked and trembling, Koji staggered out of the car and screamed at Hirutani not to hurt them. "Please, this is a mistake! Don't do it? You will end up in prison again." He grabbed Hirutani by the arm in an attempt to get his attention. His actions earned him a fist to the face and he was shoved to the ground.

"Don't you dare touch me you little shit!" Hirutani spat at him and kicked his backside. "Now piss off- unless you want to get the shit beat out of you as well?" He sneered.

Scrabbling to his feet, Koji bit back the need to sob. His breath hitched in his throat as he shook his head "N. no." Rubbing his bruised jaw and behind, he staggered away, trying not to let his eyes meet with Yugi or Anzu's. "S..sorry. I'm really sorry.." For a fraction of a second he hesitated and his eyes locked with Yugi's. It broke his heart to see the expression of anger, confusion and fear on the King of Games face as he struggled to free himself from the grip of the two thugs holding him.

"Sorry," he called out once more as he looked away again and fled the scene.

"Coward," Anzu screamed after him. "That's right run! You fucking coward." She let out a sob and frantically struggled to get free from the two men holding her.

As soon as he rounded the corner, Koji felt his legs wobble. He slumped against the side of a shipping container and promptly threw up. He was unable to stop the tears that started to run down his cheeks and mingle with his vomit and the blood dripping from the cut to his eyebrow. The realization that he might be responsible for the deaths of two friends was too much to bear.

After a few moments his sobs eased and he started to calm down. Able to think more rationally, he decided to call the police for help. His heart sunk again and his hopelessness returned when he checked his pocket and found that he had lost his phone. It was either still in Yugi's car or had fallen out in the scuffle. Sighing helplessly, he looked up at the darkening sky and gasped when he spotted the CCTV camera mounted on a telegraph pole. Perhaps he could attract the attention of whoever was watching!

* * *

**Please Review.**


	32. Chapter 32

We will now find out if Yugi and Anzu managed to escape Hirutani and his gang. Expect some violence, swearing and suggestions of attempted rape/sexual assault (not graphic)

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 32. Fight to Survive.

Approximately half a mile away from where Yugi and Anzu had been ambushed, stood the port of Domino's office buildings. Next door to the three story building, was the coastguard and lifeboat station. Security staff were based within the main office building. Customs officials were in the coastguards office.

The security teams day shift was coming to an end and the duty officers were tired; it had been a long hot day and not very much had happened outside of the usual comings and goings. In between their patrols, they had spent their time drinking tea and coffee, eating pastries and playing cards. Only occasionally glancing at the bank of TV screens, which showed the live feed from each of the security cameras situated around the port.

Two officers had just returned from patrolling the quayside.

"Man, it's close out there, there's a storm rumbling in the distance. Any moment now its gonna chuck it down." One of the men grumbled as they walked from the searing heat outside, into the nice air conditioned room.

The second man glanced at the row of screens and spotted an unauthorized vehicle in an area of the dock closed off to the public. "What's that on camera four?"

The two other men looked up from their card game at the appropriate screen, just in time to see a metallic blue Nissan hatchback going along Quayside Road, towards where the old shipping containers were being stored.

"No idea. I gave clearance to a panel van earlier that came to remove some of those old oil drums from the warehouse. Not got any blue Nissan's on the list!"

"Should we check it out?" They watched as the car turned into where the van had gone earlier.

"Nah, it's probably just their boss checking up on them and forgot to notify us."

A good ten minutes later, they were somewhat worried when a young man came staggering into view of the security camera and slumped over. They grimaced when he vomited.

"What the hell is going on now?!" One of the guards furrowed his brow as he spoke.

"Zoom in," his colleague ordered.

When they did, the young man suddenly stood up. They noticed blood covering the young man's face and tee shirt. He then looked directly up at the camera and appeared to be pleading with them for assistance. They could make out the words 'HELP! GANG and FIGHT!'

"Shit! Looks like we may have a gang war going on. We need to get over there and investigate. I will notify Port Police?" The senior officer shouted.

Grabbing the bullet proof vests, taser weapons and riot batons they kept for when boarding the vessels of suspected drug smugglers, the three men rushed out to the small white Suzuki van they used for driving around the port. It also had a flashing yellow light on the roof.

They were met outside by two customs officers. "I think we should wait for backup, we don't know what sort of violence were dealing with!" One said nervously.

Another man disagreed. "No way! If we wait who knows what might happen. There are oil drums down there and if they start a fire, half the port could go up! Thanks to this hot weather, everything is tinder dry."

"We go in now!" The most senior office decided.

As he spoke thunder and lightening could be heard in the distance and one or two big rain drops started to fall.

"Back up should only be ten minutes, our sirens might be enough to disperse them." Nodding in agreement the five men decided to go right away.

::::::::::::

With an evil smirk, Hirutani walked over and faced Yugi. "You ain't gonna get a lucky punch in and walk away this time Mutou," he snarled.

Yugi tried again to struggle against his captors. They reacted by twisting his arm painfully behind his back. He stopped struggling and narrowed his eyes, glaring at Hirutani. "Let us go Hirutani. You have nothing to gain by harming us, you will only end up back in prison. Is that what you want?" He snarled in response.

"Right now I don't give a fuck!" Hirutani lunged forward and slammed his fist into Yugi's midriff making him gasp and slump over. The two thugs holding onto him hauled him back upright.

The pain from the punch made his eyes water slightly. Panting heavily, he tried not to show that he was hurting. "Then at least let Anzu go? You have no argument with her, it's me you want," he hissed.

"Yugi!" Anzu screamed when Hirutani punched him. Even if they let her go she would not leave him. "Please stop this Hirutani? If you hurt us you will rot in prison."

A flash of lightening, followed by a long, low rumble of thunder made everyone startle slightly.

Hirutani grinned at the mention of his name and spun round to face her. "Is that so? Well like I said, I don't care." He looked her up and down. _She must mean a lot to this little punk, If I hurt her it will __really break him. _It had been a while since Hirutani had been with a woman and he liked what he saw. "So you are Starhead's whore? Nice, you got good taste Mutou. I Think I might try her out."

Dread formed in the pit of Yugi's bruised stomach and he started struggling to free himself with renewed vigour. "Leave Anzu alone you bastard." He managed to elbow one of the thugs holding him in the face, but as he attempted to knee the other in the stomach, he was smashed across the middle of the back with the baseball bat, which winded him and knocked him to the ground. Hirutani then grabbed him roughly by the hair with one hand, pulling his head up, so he could punch him in the face with the other. The two thugs dragged him back to his feet and held him in an even tighter arm lock.

Blood trickled from his nose into his mouth and dripped off his chin, his body hurt and he was badly winded. All he could do was groan. "No...ugghh.." He doubled up when Hirutani punched him in the stomach again. The two thugs were holding him up, preventing him from falling to the ground again.

Smirking with smug satisfaction, Hirutani looked Yugi in the eye. Despite his pain, Yugi glared back at him with a dark fire in his eyes. If only he could send this monster to the shadow realm, he would.

"Make sure he watches," Hirutani ordered his two henchmen as he turned his back on Yugi and walked over to Anzu.

More thunder and lightening rattled across the sky and large raindrops were now beginning to fall.

"No..Anzu! Oh Ra..other Me..please.." Forgetting Atem was no longer here, Yugi pleaded in vain for him to intervene. "Help us?!" Yugi cried out as Hirutani started unbuckling his belt, while leering at Anzu.

Anzu cried out and screamed for Yugi as Hirutani approached. There was no way she was going to let this beast touch her. Using all her strength she squirmed and fought. Hirutani reached forward and attempted to grab at her breasts.

Using the two thugs holding her for support and leverage, she summoned all her strength and agility to lift her feet, kicking out as hard as she could. She was only wearing soft pumps, but managed to put the core strength she had as a ballerina to good use, and her feet connected hard with his crotch. Hirutani's eyes bugged out of his head and he let out a pained groan as he collapsed and doubled up in a heap on the ground, clutching himself.

"You bitch." The freckle faced, thug with thick glasses, who Anzu vaguely remembered as the one who had punched Yugi at the station a couple of years ago when they had been looking for Jonouchi, slapped her hard across the face with the back of his hand, leaving a red mark and causing her to accidentally bite her tongue, filling her mouth with blood.

The ugly brute smirked and attempted to kiss her so she spat the blood in his face. One of the men holding her sniggered at the sight of him with blood and spit dripping off his bottle thick glasses, earning a glare from the ugly brute, who snarled and pulled out a thin bladed flick knife. "You won't find it funny when I shove this knife up your..."

"Enough!" Hirutani interrupted from his position, hunched up on the ground. "Put that away, we're not fighting each other," he growled out, still clearly in agony from the kick he received.

Having recovered slightly, Yugi started struggling again in a desperate attempt to get free. He ceased his struggles when the knife the ugly brute held, was pushed against his neck and he could feel the sharp point pushing into the skin just below his left ear.

"Squirm too much Starhead and the blade goes in." The ugly freckled brute was now focussing his hatred on Yugi.

Meanwhile, Hirutani was getting painfully to his feet while still clutching his sore manhood. His eyes were all watery from the throbbing pain. "You fucking bitch! I will make you pay for that."

Even though she was terrified, Anzu was still full of her usual fighting spirit. "Huh! You think? Loser...You can't beat Yugi in a fair fight so you get all your little friends to help you hold him in order to win. Well newsflash buster! Yugi _never _loses!"

Hirutani raised his eyebrows at her feisty attitude. "Brave words for a woman who is about to end up pleading for mercy. Or maybe you are looking forward to having a real man for a change?" He boasted smugly. He liked women who had a bit of an attitude.

"The only _real_ man I see round here is _my_ Yugi!" Anzu had hoped the kick to the groin would be enough to put a stop him assaulting her.

"Anzu!" Yugi called out desperately. "Stop winding him up, you will make things worse." He winced when he felt the sting of the knife point piercing his neck.

In Anzu's opinion things could not really get much worse. But she was hoping that by arguing she could stall for some time in the hope that they might be rescued. "Yugi.." She couldn't help the sob that escaped when she saw a thin trickle of blood dribble down his neck, to join the nose blood that already soaked his shirt. He was right, her bravado was only making things worse for Yugi. She suddenly realised how terrified she really was.

In that moment, her prayers for rescue were answered. Everyone froze froze for a second when they heard the police sirens.

"Shit! Cops! Everyone, get out of here, now!" Hirutani ordered. _Damn, that moron Koji must have alerted them_.

The thugs holding Yugi released him slightly. The one holding the knife drew it back and in less than the blink of an eye, Yugi realised that he was about to be stabbed in the face. They had released their hold on him just enough for him to react by ducking out of the way and the knife missed by an inch and slashed the chin of one of the other thugs holding him. The thug swore and let Yugi go, clamping his hand over his bleeding chin.

Through this mayhem, Yugi took his chance and grabbed the freckled thug holding the knife by the wrist to stop him taking another stab, and twisted it round causing the thug to yelp and drop the knife. The thug's only goal now was to pull his arm free and run.

But Yugi was fired up by his anger at the man for slapping Anzu and trying to kiss her; he wasn't about to let him get away. Adrenalin took over as he rugby tackled the man, sending him crashing to the ground.

Meanwhile, the other thugs who had been holding him had made a run for it, only to be apprehended by the officers, who had jumped out of their vehicles, tasering one thug and capturing the other when he stopped and threw his hands up in submission.

The two thugs holding Anzu had already run for it, leaving her standing facing Hirutani. "Guess that spoils our fun... It's not over, bitch," he snarled at her, before barging her out of the way and attempting to make a run for it.

Using her dancing agility for the second time, Anzu managed to swing her feet out as she fell and Hirutani went clattering over her leg and fell to the ground. An officer was on him top of him immediately, cuffing his hands behind his back.

"Oops! Looks like it _is_ over, asshole." Anzu bit back. As she picked herself up off the floor, Yugi came running over and gently placed his hands on her arms, looking her over for any signs of trauma.

"Are you hurt?" He gasped, releasing her when she winced.

"Ow!" She held up her arm and saw that her elbow was grazed from being pushed over a moment ago. Her leg also had a painful bruise forming where Hirutani had stumbled over it when she tripped him. "I.. I'm not as hurt as you." She could see that Yugi was in a lot of pain but was trying to be brave for her. She tried to smile, but her bottom lip was trembling. Unable to hold it in any longer, she let out a strangled sob and fell against his chest.

Yugi closed his eyes and held onto her gently. "I'm not badly hurt, it looks worse than it is," he reassured. "It was what Hirutani might do to you that really scared me. I'm just thankful the police arrived in time."

With the imminent danger now gone, the two teens let their emotions boil over. Anzu began to shake and sob in Yugi's arms. He felt his own breath hitch in his throat as tears started to well up in his own eyes. "It's okay Anzu, it's over, we're safe." He shut his eyes tightly and buried his face in her hair.

Moments later, when he reopened them, he found himself staring straight at his mother's wrecked car. It was absurd, but rather than worry about his injuries and the traumatic experience they had both suffered, all he could obsess about was the fact that the car was a mess. He groaned, his mother would kill him for trashing her car!

"Yugi?!" Thinking she was holding his bruised torso too tightly, Anzu lifted her head from his shoulder and gave him a worried look.

"My parents car! I have trashed it. They will never let me drive it again." Distress was clearly evident in his voice.

"You're worried about the car?! I think your mum will be more concerned about your injuries Yugi."

"But the car will cost a fortune to repair." At the thought of working long shifts to pay for the damage, he took a deep breath and winced as the pain in his chest and back gripped him. Now the adrenalin was wearing off, everything was starting to hurt.

"You are not okay!" She winced at her own pain. Placing her fingers on her cheekbone, Anzu could feel quite a lump coming up where she had been hit across the face. Her face also felt wet from crying and some of Yugi's blood had rubbed off on her, mingling with her tears. We_ must look a mess._

"Sir! Miss!" A gentle hand was placed on each of their shoulders. They moved apart to see a paramedic addressing them. "Would you like to come with me? We should look at your injuries."

They both nodded and followed the paramedic to the ambulance which had arrived moments ago. They were met by a police officer who having helped arrest five out of the seven gang members, wanted to speak to them about the attack and find out what they were doing here in the first place!

Thunder and lightening continued to roar overhead and it was now raining really hard. The temperature had also dropped several degrees, making the now soaked teens shiver.

Both Anzu and Yugi were surprised at how many police cars had arrived at the scene, there were blue flashing lights everywhere and they reflected strangely amidst the heavy rain and dark stormy sky.

They held onto one another's hands as they were taken into the back of the waiting ambulance to be checked over, and were shocked to find Koji sitting inside having his cut eyebrow tended to.

He glanced at them sheepishly and sat looking guilty and remorseful. All Yugi and Anzu could do at this moment was glare at him questioningly. _WHY?_

The police officer who was trying to stay out of the rain by standing on the step of the rather crowded ambulance, was looking in on them and noticed the air of tension between the three. "It's a good job your friend managed escape and alert security," _otherwise you might be dead by now! _He kept that thought to himself. "It appears we arrived just in time! Hirutani and his gang are known to us and are not to be messed with."

"He is not our friend," Yugi growled, glaring daggers at Koji.

Anzu was shocked at his response. Where was the compassion and forgiveness he usually showed to people? "Yugi?" She touched his arm gently. "That doesn't sound like you!" _Maybe he is still very angry._

Yugi tilted his head slightly for the paramedic to place a dressing on the small wound on his neck before responding. "A friend wouldn't lie and sell his friends out to an enemy. Why did you do it Koji? Did you volunteer to impress Hirutani?" He said bitterly.

All Koji could do was hang his head. "I don't know," he whispered.

Anzu gasped when she suddenly realised that Koji was in Hirutani's gang all along. "How could you?" She was now extremely angry herself and now understood why Yugi was too. "You are one of Hirutani's butt monkeys, aren't you?! You were never our friend at all, you just pretended so you could convince us to trust you enough to follow you into a trap! But at the last minute you felt guilty and tried to run away like a coward."

"I'm sorry, really I am. I told Hirutani I didn't want to do it, but he threatened me; said I would end up in a pair of concrete boots at the bottom of Domino Harbour if I didn't do as he said."

"Was that before or after you volunteered?" Yugi wanted to know.

The police officer listened intently to the conversation and made notes.

"After," Koji whispered. "I didn't know any of you and I wasn't a gang member when Hirutani had that fight with you and Jonouchi a few years back, so I was the obvious choice. Hirutani told me a pack of lies about you and Jonouchi to make me hate you. But when I met you I realised none of what he said was true, you guys are really great and I genuinely wanted us all to be _real _friends. I can't blame you for hating me. I deserve it."

Both Yugi and Anzu were quiet for a moment as they took in his words. The police officer took this as an opportunity to speak. "So are you telling me he is one of the gang that attacked you?" He nodded towards Koji. "In that case Koji Nagai, I'm going to have to arrest you for conspiracy to commit a serious assault."

Koji took a deep breath and swallowed, his parents would be extremely disappointed in him. However, Yugi intervened. "No! Don't arrest him." The officer looked at him strangely. "It wasn't his fault, he was coerced into it. Losing our trust and friendship is enough punishment."

"I'm not sure that is your decision Mr. Mutou. He is a member of a dangerous, criminal gang that threatened to seriously harm you both."

"What if we don't want to press charges against him?" Yugi asked.

"And I don't think he will be stupid enough to get involved in any more gangs officer," Anzu added.

The officer sighed. If he arrested this young man it would mean double the paperwork, and these two teenagers would probably refuse to testify anyway. "Okay," he sighed. "Take this as a verbal warning young man. I have your name on file. One more slip up and I will haul you in so fast you won't know what hit you, understand?

"Yes, t.. thank you," Koji bowed gratefully to the officer. "Thank you Yugi, Anzu.." He gave them a weak, apologetic smile.

Yugi smiled back the best he could. It was not in his nature to be unkind, but he had changed and toughened up a little in the last year and couldn't bring himself to forgive Koji in the same generous way he had forgiven Kaiba or Otogi- they hadn't tried to deceive him into becoming friends before attacking him. "I'm just sorry it had to end this way, you seemed like a nice guy. It's probably best if you stay away from us from now on." _Jonouchi and Honda won't react well anyway and Koji doesn't deserve a beating._

After being checked over by the paramedics, it was decided that Yugi needed to go to the hospital for x-rays of his chest. Anzu was also complaining of pain in her wrist and the paramedic thought that it might be fractured. "Just great," she sighed when told the news. "What on earth will my parents say?"

"At least they won't take away your car privileges. I dunno how I'm gonna tell mum what I have done to her car," Yugi continued to fret about it.

Somehow, news of the incident had already reached the media. Yugi and Anzu were far too preoccupied to notice that reporters had arrived and were eagerly trying to find out what had happened. How journalists always manage to appear at the scene of any disaster or potentially interesting piece of news so quickly is always a mystery!

::::::::::::

"I wonder where Yugi is?" Suguroku wondered out loud to his daughter in law. "I was hoping he would be back in time to mind the shop this evening."

"Maybe he is stuck in traffic because of this storm," Yugi's mother reasoned. "It's always busy at this time of day and I suspect some of the roads might be flooded."

"Perhaps, but he would ring and tell us if he was going to be late. He knows he is supposed to be looking after the shop." Sugoroku decide to put the television on to check the local news and traffic reports. Deep down he was a little worried.

"Well no news is good news Dad," Yugi's mother hoped she was right.

Switching to the news channel, they gasped when the saw the news headlines- King of Games in violent gang brawl. The back of an ambulance was seen driving away and then it cut to a female reporter talking to a live camera feed. In the background was the badly damaged car.

"OH MY GOD! That's MY car!" Yugi's mother dropped the packet of rice she had been holding, all over the floor. "Yugi!" At the sight of the badly damaged car, a feeling of dread made her tremble when she imagined her son with serious injuries.

It appeared the journalists didn't seem to know very much about what exactly had happened, as they had been kept at bay by the security officers. However, now that the ambulance had left the scene, one of the security officers was seen answering some questions. The journalist turned back to the camera and confirmed that a gang had lured Yugi Mutou and a young lady named Anzu Mazaki, who was believed to be his girlfriend, to the disused warehouse, along with another man called Koji Nagai. It was confirmed that Nagai was connected with the gang, but was also a friend of the young couple. Officers understood that the attack was pre-planned due to a grudge that Hirutani held against Yugi Mutou.

"What do they mean? Injuries not life threatening! Grudge! My Yugi is a good boy, he has never been involved with any gangs!" _How dare they make assumptions that my son is connected with such thugs! _Yugi's mother indignantly grabbed her phone and started dialling Yugi's number. They heard it ring from his jacket pocket, which was hanging up in the hallway. She sighed. "We need to get to the hospital." _Trust Yugi to forget his phone!_

_::::::::::::_

Before the ambulance left the scene, Anzu asked the police officer to fetch her bag from the car. It was quite a sizeable sports bag which contained her dance kit, purse and of course, phone. She wanted to call her parents, but first offered it to Yugi to phone his grandfather. Unable to think of what to say, he declined. "No, you ring your Mum, she will be worried you're not home yet."

"You can't put it off forever Yugi, they will find out eventually."

"I know, I just need to work out how to tell them," he groaned. In _his _mind, he assumed they would be furious at him for getting into a fight and for smashing up the car. He had no idea that they had seen the news report and were already on their way to the hospital.

* * *

**I couldn't possibly let my main characters be too seriously hurt.**

**Please review.**


	33. Chapter 33

I apologize for not updating this sooner! I took a few days off writing. I have also been doing some more work on the plot of my next story.

Warnings: Some cursing. Mentions of drug taking.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 33. Fallout.

As soon as the ambulance reached the hospital, Yugi and Anzu were taken into the casualty department in wheel chairs, despite arguing that they were still able to walk; all be it painfully.

They were taken to a treatment bay, where their injuries were examined and assessed.

Suspecting that her wrist was indeed fractured, the doctors requested an x-ray of Anzu's arm.

They were more concerned about Yugi's injuries. He had bruising to his face, and extensive bruising on his torso and back. They were worried he may have fractures to his face and ribs and possibly internal bleeding, so they arranged for him to have a CT scan of his chest, abdomen. He was also given some pain relief to help him cope with the discomfort. The pain killers were strong and worked quickly, making him feel a little spaced out.

While waiting for their scans, Anzu was able to ring her parents. When she called, they had just finished watching the end of the news report on television and understandably, they were extremely shocked and worried.

The moment the phone rang her father rushed to answer, relived when he saw that the caller id was his daughter.

Initially, he was relieved just to hear Anzu's voice. But as soon as she told him they were okay and her only injury was a sore arm from hitting the gang leader (a slight exaggeration of the truth) her father's tone changed.

Having only heard the end of news reporter's version of events- which seemed to imply that Yugi was involved in a gang war, and that he had willingly gone with a gang member to confront the gang, he became angry. "I knew there was something off about that boy!" he barked. In the past, there had been rumours about the King of Games being involved in dangerous and mysterious games, that left the losers with nightmares, hallucinations and nervous breakdowns, but they had always remained _just rumours. _

When the wrongdoers who had supposedly been 'punished' were questioned, they always became confused and had sketchy memories about what exactly had happened. They had implicated Yugi, but said the boy seemed older and more aggressive; nothing like the quiet, shy and somewhat gentle Yugi.

The so called 'victims,' such as the owner of the television company that had gone bankrupt after his outburst on live TV, claimed that he saw Yugi outside the gents toilets, just before being confronted by someone who looked like him. But he was vague and then said it was just his imagination. The shop keeper, who had been bitten by his pet scorpion, claimed he could not remember anything at all- from the time he had sold a pair of shoes to a boy who was with Yugi, to when Yugi had phoned for an ambulance. The most horrific incident of all, had been the escaped criminal; who burned to death after setting himself on fire during a confrontation with a man customers thought was Yugi but then changed their minds, because the man involved had a deeper voice! The criminal had been high on drugs, so the verdict reached, was accidental death!

Her father was putting two and two together and getting five! If Yugi was a gang member, he most likely took drugs, which would change his personality and make him aggressive and dangerous. Therefore, if he was high on drugs, it was highly likely that he could have been responsible for all those incidents.

"How dare he take you into danger like that! I bet it's not the first time either, is it young lady? I bet he's into drugs too."

"Dad! Yugi's not..." Anzu tried to defend her boyfriend but her father talked over her.

"The way he dresses! I should have guessed he was in some sort of gang. Is that what attracted you? He's not the nice boy he pretends to be. We will talk about this when we get to the hospital." He hung up.

Clicking off her phone, Anzu turned to Yugi, visibly shaken and with tears in her eyes at being admonished by her father. "My Dad's not happy." Her voice was small and shaky.

If Yugi was honest with himself, he couldn't blame Anzu's father for being so angry and holding him responsible. Yugi was feeling pretty angry at himself too, for taking Anzu into a situation where she had nearly been raped! He had been powerless to protect her and if the police hadn't arrived when they did...! He didn't want to dwell on it, the mere thought made him shudder. "It's all my fault. Time and again I walk straight into danger like a fool. Atem was always there to save us, but on my own I'm just a weak, useless jerk. Your father is right to be angry, I just hope he doesn't stop you from seeing me!"

"It's not your fault Yugi, we were both tricked by someone we thought was a friend. I doubt Atem would have handled it any better." She took his hand and tried to give him a reassuring smile. "We will tell my parents what really happened and they will understand. They wouldn't dare stop me seeing you, were in love," she added indignantly, determined to ignore and argue against any possible punishment.

Yugi sighed and was about to respond when his mother and grandfather came rushing in. He tensed up, expecting to be scolded like a naughty little boy for damaging the car. He had not asked his mother if he could borrow it, he just assumed that because he had parcels he needed to take to the post depot, she would not mind.

A memory of borrowing his grandpa's best chess set and taking it out to the garden so that he could practice came back to haunt him. He had been eight at the time. The set had been a sixtieth birthday gift to Sugoroku and each piece had been hand carved, out of mahogany for the dark pieces and pine for the light pieces. He had somehow lost two pieces and even though they searched everywhere for them they could not be found. Yugi had been given a stern lecture about taking things without asking and been docked three weeks pocket money as a punishment. He was not a deceitful person but he decided not to tell them that he had already taken the box containing the Millennium Puzzle. Instead he made sure to hide it in the back of his wardrobe until the fuss died down, just in case his Grandpa took it away. He could not understand why at the time, but the puzzle had been calling out to him, he had felt drawn to it as though it _should _belong to him. There was no way he could risk it being confiscated.

"Yugi! Thank goodness you are okay." His mother came over and was about to hug him when she saw the bruising on his face and ribcage. "What happened to you? We saw the news, they said something about a gang! We tried to ring you but you left your phone at home!" The car was the furthest thing from her mind.

"Sorry," he mumbled, "we got ambushed. I thought Koji was our friend but he led us into a trap."

"Why would he do that Yugi?" Sugoroku creased his eyebrows in concern.

"It's a long story, I will tell you when we get home. I'm really sorry about the car, they smashed it with baseball bats."

"Oh, don't worry about the car, it can be fixed." his mother smiled. "It's you I'm worried about. Look what they've done to you!" She was worried that the bruising could have caused serious damage.

He tried to sit himself upright, but the pain bit him again, causing him to wince. "It..it's not that bad. Looks worse than it is." He really hoped it was only bruising and that nothing was broken.

A moment later the nurse and a porter arrived to take him for his scan. His mother was allowed to go with him and wait outside the room where the scanner was situated.

Anzu was taken into another side room where a portable x-ray machine was set up. It was revealed that she did indeed have a fracture of the Radius and would need to have it put in a cast for up to six weeks. Being an active person, this was something she was not happy about. Especially if it inhibited her movement for dancing.

She was waiting with Sugoroku, for the Orthopaedic Doctor to come and put the plaster cast on her arm, when her parents arrived. Luckily for Yugi, he was still having his scan.

As soon as her father spotted the elderly Mr. Mutou, his face puckered up into a scowl. His wife placed her hand on his arm. "Please dear, don't start anything here. We don't want to make a scene." She knew he had a quick temper and could often fly off the handle, jumping to conclusions without gathering the correct facts first. And she wanted to avoid any unnecessary confrontation with the Mutou family, who she considered nice people. She found her husbands idea that Yugi had been on drugs, utterly ridiculous, warning him not to make any accusations without proof.

He took a deep breath and nodded his agreement. They had discussed the need to deal with the situation amicably, on the way here. Anzu's mother was always a good voice of reason and Anzu tended to take after her. He agreed to do his best not to lose his temper. Like his wife, he had always thought the Mutous were good people.

Sugoroku looked up at them with concern. He was a little shocked by the angry expression on Mr. Mazaki's face. He stood and bowed politely. "Mr. Mazaki, Mrs Mazaki. I'm afraid I am just as concerned as you are about what happened."

"Hi Mum, Hi Dad," Anzu tried to force a cheerful smile in an attempt to disarm her father. It had always worked for her in the past when she was naughty and her father went to scold her. She then put on her best 'your little girl is hurt' look, to win him over. "I have broken my arm."

"Oh, sweetheart." Her mother sat down next to her and put her arm around Anzu's shoulders. "Please tell us what happened? Why did you go down to the docks with Yugi?"

"Please don't blame Yugi for this, it's not his fault. He didn't know it was a trap set by Hirutani."

"Who the hell is Hirutani?" Anzu's father was beginning to get uptight again.

"He is the leader of a vicious gang. Jonouchi got into trouble with them with them a few years ago and Yugi helped him..."

She was interrupted when her father snorted. "I might have guessed it would have something to do with _that_ waste of space. His father is a useless drunken lout too. I can't believe I have been letting him in my house." His wife nudged him and gave him a severe look, which told him to keep quiet and let his daughter speak. He hmphd and folded his arms.

"Please don't get angry Dad! I admit, Jonouchi used to get into trouble, but he isn't like that now. Thanks, mostly to Yugi, he is a good man and turned his life around. Anyway, after Yugi helped Jonouchi escape the gang, they held a grudge. Hirutani was in prison, so he couldn't do anything until he got out. He got Koji to make friends with us so he could trick Yugi into going with him into a trap. I just happened to be with Yugi when they put it into action. We had no way of knowing it was a set up! We thought we were going to get a puncture fixed at his friends workshop."

"That sounds ridiculous," her father grunted.

"No, it is quite understandable," Sugoroku interjected. "My grandson would never knowingly put Anzu in danger, he loves her and would do anything to protect her."

"Are you sure Mr Mutou? Your grandson dresses like a punk, how do you know he is not in this gang?!"

"Dad!" Anzu said angrily. "Yugi has _never _been in a gang."

Sugoroku smiled at Anzu. "Let me speak to your father Anzu?" He then turned to Anzu's father. "Mr. Mazaki, I trust my grandson. He has been brought up to respect and honour himself, his family and other people. As you well know from the mugging in Egypt several months ago, he would sacrifice himself to protect someone he loves. I will not allow anyone to speak badly of Yugi."

Mr. Mazaki's jaw tightened as he thought about it for a moment before turning back to Anzu. "If I had been strict and not let you follow him to all those so called tournaments you insisted you had to go to, none of this would be happening." He knew he was fighting a losing argument. Anzu was too old for him to just ban her from seeing the boy, and they would only resent him for it and probably go behind his back. He sighed and looked up through the open curtain to see Yugi was being brought back from his scan.

"Please, don't have a go at Yugi?" Mrs Mazaki touched her husband's arm and made a suggestion. "How about we invite Yugi and his family over for dinner when all this has blown over? It will give us a chance to all get to know one another better and resolve any issues."

Mr. Mazaki turned to Sugoroku. "You would be made most welcome."

Sugoroku nodded. "Yes, thank you, we would be honoured to come to dinner with you."

"Yugi! How did it go?" Anzu was at his side immediately.

"We don't have the results yet, the nurse said the doctor has to look at the scans first." Mrs Mutou still sounded worried.

"They will come and talk to us," Yugi added. "How is your arm Anzu?"

"Yep! Broken Radius," she confirmed, pointing to her right arm. "Just above the wrist. They are supposed to be plastering it, but no one has been yet!"

Yugi frowned. "Oh! That's not good. Will you still be okay to dance?"

"Probably, I don't know yet. It might be a bit awkward to do complicated routines though. I have to wear the cast for 5 to 6 weeks."

He noticed that her parents were looking at him intently which made him nervous, so he reached out and took Anzu's good hand for reassurance. "I'm sorry Mr. Mazaki, Mrs Mazaki. Please don't punish Anzu, none of this was her fault. I take full responsibility for getting us into this situation. I had no idea we were being lured into a trap. I hope you can forgive me?"

Mr. Mazaki grunted. "If you are worried I will prevent _my_ daughter from seeing you again, relax. I thought about it but I'm not going to stop you. In the meantime I will consider your apology."

"Thank you." Under the circumstances, it was the best that Yugi could hope for.

Luckily for Yugi, he had not sustained any internal injuries. Neither his cheekbone or nose were broken, just very swollen and sore. His ribs were extremely painful due to the soft tissue damage from the blow he'd received. However, doctors decided to keep him in overnight for observation, just in case there was any underlying problem that they had missed.

Anzu's arm was put in plaster and she was allowed to go home. However, she did not want to leave Yugi and asked if she could also stay overnight to be with him. The doctor advised that it was not necessary and her father frowned and told her that she was going home with them regardless.

::::::::::::

Neither Jonouchi or Mai had seen the news reports. They were sitting on the sofa watching cartoons when the Mazaki's arrived home.

Mrs Mazaki ushered her husband into the kitchen to help make some tea and to keep him from rounding on Jonouchi and accusing him of being responsible for the gangs vendetta.

"What da heck have you done to your arm?!" Jonouchi was horrified. He and Mai had wondered where the Mazakis were when they got home. Now they knew.

As Anzu proceeded to explain what had happened, he went ballistic. "Why that fu..." He leaped up from the sofa with his fists balled and started pacing, trying to contain himself from letting loose a four letter tirade in Anzu's parents house. He desperately needed to hit something.

Mai got up and put her arms around him to try and calm him down.

"I know you want to hurt Koji for what he has done Jonouchi, but please don't do anything," Anzu pleaded. "He already feels terrible about it. Yugi has dealt with it _his _way, and I fully agree with his decision to show him mercy. There is no point in anyone else getting hurt."

"Yugi is too forgiving," Jonouchi growled. "He should have at least turned him in to the police!"

"Why? Koji felt awful and in the end it was him who saved us."

"Yes, but if he had a spine, he would not have agreed to do it in the first place," Mai added.

"Maybe, but Hirutani lied to him and by the time he realized what he was doing was wrong, it was too late. He tried to get out of it but Hirutani threatened him. So he had no choice."

"Of course he had a fuu... flippin choice. He could have told us about Hirutani's plan!" Jonouchi was still angry.

"Every one makes mistakes Jonouchi." Anzu's father came in carrying a tray of drinks. "You should know! Apparently you made enough bad ones in the past," he said sarcastically. "None of this mess would have happened if it wasn't for your misspent youth!"

There wasn't really very much Jonouchi could say to that. Deep down he knew it was true, so he remained silent and slumped back down on the sofa feeling guilty.

"Dad!" Anzu whined. "Jonouchi has more than made up for what he did in the past," she defended her friend.

"Yes, well the past always catches up with you. And thanks to his past, you and Yugi nearly got killed today." It seemed he was no longer blaming Yugi and instead turning his anger and frustration on Jonouchi.

"Yeah." Jonouchi looked up at Anzu's father. "You are right Mr. Mazaki. I got caught up with some bad people after my folks split up. I was angry and hurting, I made some bad decisions and I will always regret it. But thanks to Anzu and Yugi and Mai helping me, I'm not like that any more. All I can say is sorry, and if I could swap places in the hospital with Yugi I would."

Mrs Mazaki walked in and announced. "Who would like something to eat?"

To keep his daughter happy, Mr. Mazaki agreed to stop blaming her friend, and accepted Jonouchi's apology. Perhaps his daughter's philosophy that everyone deserved a chance to redeem themselves wasn't such a bad idea after all.

::::::::::::

The following morning Yugi was released from the hospital and Jonouchi was there to take him home. "Man, I should a been there to help you yesterday, like you were for me! I would a kicked that bast..."

Uncharacteristically, Yugi talked over him. "I'm just relived the police arrived on time," his voice quiet and flat. He had spent much of the night in the hospital reliving the events and pondering on all the different scenarios, some of which were quite alarming and made him feel quite frightened.

Feeling concerned for his friends well being, Jonouchi glanced at him, noticing how he was sitting rather uncomfortably, staring out of the window. It made him feel guilty that his best friend was suffering the consequences of his past. Jonouchi had given much thought to what Anzu's father had said last night, coming to the same conclusion; that all of this _was_ his fault.

It had struck him at supper, how quiet Anzu had been during the meal. Mai had also noticed and ran Anzu a nice hot bath. And with a plastic bag over her cast to stop any water splashing on it, Anzu had a nice long soak and had then gone straight to bed. Her mother had taken some breakfast up to Anzu's room this morning and told them Anzu was resting in her room today.

"I'm sorry Yuge. This is all my fault."

Yugi turned his neck painfully towards his friend. His whole body felt stiff and achy today. "Please don't blame yourself Jonouchi. It is as much my fault as yours. I chose to fight Hirutani because you are my friend and I couldn't stand by and let them torture you. You didn't force me to get involved, I made that decision on my own."

"Yeah, but by helping _Me, _you became their enemy and a target."

Yugi tried to shrug, but it hurt too much to do so. "Shit happens.." It was the sort of statement Jonouchi would have made. It worrying to hear his friend say something like that.

"Yeah, it sure does."

Yugi didn't want to go straight home, so he asked Jonouchi to take him to see Anzu first. He was worried about her. It was not like her to want to stay in her room. He needed to be with her.

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**Getting close to the end of this story now!**

**Please review.**


	34. Chapter 34

This will be the final chapter of this story. It was never intended it to go on for so long, but I was enjoying coming up with little ideas and situations for the characters and just got carried away with it.

A big thank you to all the people who have read and enjoyed this story and especially to those who have fav/followed and reviewed. Without your support I would not have continued writing. I am currently working on my next story and hopefully will have something worth publishing in the near future. In the meantime, thanks again.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

* * *

Beyond Egypt 2

Chapter 34. Closure.

Yugi knocked on Anzu's bedroom door. When there was no answer, he called out softly. "Anzu, it's Yugi, can I come in?"

"Yugi!" She was expecting him to go straight home from the hospital, so was relieved to hear his voice. "Yes, of course you can."

He opened the door and walked in to find her curled up on the bed. She was wearing a pair of long legged pyjamas, a big baggy tee shirt and was cuddling the baby panda that Yugi remembered winning for her at the funfair, in a game where he had to throw darts at playing cards stuck to a board. She had fallen in love with it, saying it reminded her of him! He failed to see the resemblance. He sat down on the bed next to her. "Are you okay?" They had been through some pretty scary stuff in the past but Anzu had always remained positive and upbeat, so he was a little concerned about her being so depressed this time.

"Yeah, how are you?!" She sat up to face him, still clutching the panda. "I spent the night worrying about you."

"I'm a bit sore, but I'll live! It's not the first time I have been beaten up!" The memories of being bullied, along with the beatings he had taken; mostly when trying to defend other people! Would always be with him. "I'm more concerned about you though. It's not like you to stay in bed after something bad happens?"

"I'm just tired, I didn't sleep much. My arm ached and I was worrying about you!" Yugi could tell she was not telling the full truth by the tone of her voice.

"What is it? You can talk to me if there's something bothering you Anzu." He tried again.

"It's nothing. I don't want you to worry and fuss over me. I will get over it."

"I worry and fuss more if you don't tell me what's wrong. Hey! I can't have my girl upset now, can I?" He reached up and gently tilted her face towards him. "That's quite a bruise you have there."

She laughed lightly. "Not as bad as yours!" She looked at his puffy lip, swollen purple nose and grazed cheek.

"That's nothing, check these out?" He lifted his shirt to show her the bruising on his torso, which had now fully developed into a nasty dark, reddish blue, covering the right side of his ribcage and across his back. There were also two fist sized bruises where he had been punched in the left side of his upper abdomen.

He felt a bit guilty and decided that showing her his injuries had not been the wisest move when a horrified look appeared on Anzu's face and she gasped. "Yugi! You should be at home resting, it looks awful! It must be really painful?"

"A bit, but they gave me some strong pain killers. I will go home and rest but I wanted to see you first."

Knowing he wasn't going to give up until she told him what was wrong, she sighed. "Why do bad guys always seem to go for us? We seem to attract trouble."

He looked down sadly. "It's not you that attracts trouble, it's me. I can understand if you no longer want to be around me."

"It's not all your fault Yugi! I have managed to get myself into a few scrapes in the past and you and Yami always saved me. But I got over all those without too many issues. The only one that I thought about for a while afterwards was Marik brainwashing me and Jonouchi and using us to try and hurt you."

"What about Shadi?! That was pretty scary." He shuddered when he remembered Shadi turning her into a brainless doll to use in his sick game to bring out his 'Other Self.'

"Oh! I can't really remember that! Don't forget, I _was_ a brainless doll at the time!" She chuckled. "I only remember waking up on a ledge and you saving me..again!" Anzu continued, "But all those times... when we were helping the Pharaoh beat the bad guys and get his memory back, it felt like we were Super Teens! Saving the world and stuff, like Scooby Doo or Buffy and her friends. We just took on the bad guys and won! Half the time it didn't even seem real. But what happened yesterday was real and it wasn't us going on a quest to outsmart some demon. It was us being attacked by dangerous thugs, and I have never felt more afraid."

"Even more afraid than facing the Big Five in Noah's virtual world? Or Dartz or Zorc and Bakura?"

"That was different, Noah's thing didn't seem real and we willingly took on the fight against Dartz and Bakura and Zorc. We had no choice yesterday. Thank God Koji was spotted on CCTV, otherwise we would be..." She trailed off and Yugi thought she might cry. He felt bad, none of this had been her fault. It was entirely his and Jonouchi's fault, for making an enemy of Hirutani.

"I'm sorry I had to drag you into my problems Anzu." He ignored the pain and wrapped his arms around her.

"I don't want you to keep apologizing Yugi. I don't blame you, or Jonouchi." She was careful to put her arms around his lower waist rather than the injured area of his chest and back. "And I feel better now that we have talked about it."

"Is your Dad still angry at me?"

"Not really. He took it out on Jonouchi instead. He just needed someone to blame because he felt helpless and bad that he wasn't there to rescue me himself."

Mai and Jonouchi appeared in the doorway. "Hey! How ya doing?" Jonouchi blurted loudly.

Mai elbowed him to shut up and spoke a little more softly. "Is everything okay? Is there anything we can do to help?"

Yugi and Anzu released each other. "Thank you Mai, but we're okay. I feel a bit better now I have talked to Yugi." She smiled softly at her boyfriend. For such a kind, gentle guy, who hated violence and conflict, he sure did get into a lot of fights and trouble.

"Okay, but don't forget, I'm here for you any time you need to talk. You guys were always there for me, even after I pushed you away," Mai winked at them. "That's what friends do eh?!"

Yugi laughed and then winced at the pain. "Thanks Mai."

Jonouchi slipped his arm round Mai's waist. "Anyway, Me n Mai just made some coffee on your Dad's new fancy coffee machine. Who fancies one of them frothy things with the chocolate on top?" Jonouchi was doing his best to cheer everyone up.

"It's called cappuccino you dummy," Mai tutted. "And some people prefer cinnamon." For some reason she could picture the Pharaoh having cinnamon on his coffee!

"I wouldn't mind a latte," Anzu replied.

"Yeah, I will have whatever you're making," Yugi added.

The friends all made their way downstairs and made themselves comfortable on the sofa, while Mai went to the kitchen to make the drinks. "I worked in a coffee shop in Milan for a while," she informed them. "So I know how to make real Italian coffee. You wait until you taste it! You'll love it!" She placed the tray on the small table in front of them.

Yugi had never really drunk coffee before. The only time he had, he wasn't all that keen, but he had to admit the Frothy, milky drink was pretty good. "This is really nice Mai!"

"I knew you would like it," she smiled, happy that she could do something to cheer them up.

Enjoying coffee with her friends had put things back into perspective for Anzu. She comforted herself with the knowledge that she and Yugi had far better souls than Hirutani. He was the weak one and they were strong. The bad guys always got what was coming too them in the end, and Hirutani would soon be back behind bars, where he belonged. There was no way his attempt to hurt them was going to get her down any longer. She and Yugi had far better things to do than dwell on a pathetic criminal like that!

With friends like hers, she could never feel down for long anyway. "Here's to a Hirutani free future." She raised her mug and they all chinked their mugs against hers.

"You bet. And if that scum bag ever gets out of prison and comes anywhere near my friends, I will rip his spine out and make sure he never walks again," Jonouchi vowed.

"Jonouchi!" They all chorused, horrified at the harshness of his threat. Even Hirutani didn't deserve to have his spine broken!

After they had finished their coffee, Jonouchi took Yugi home so that he could rest up. His grandfather and mother had been getting a little worried that he hadn't come straight home from the hospital and were glad to see him.

It took him a good three weeks before he started to feel better. The bruising had faded to a yellowish blue and the sore muscles had started to loosen off a little, allowing him to move about freely again.

Anzu was a little hindered by the cast on her arm when dancing, but still managed to get some practice done, which stopped her losing too much fitness. And once the cast was off, she was soon back to her normal training regime.

They didn't see Koji or Hirutani again until the court case. Koji testified against Hirutani and he was convicted of actual bodily harm with intent to commit murder and sentenced to nine years in prison.

He had also been charged with other offences relating to the car theft and smuggling racket. Jonouchi's former friend had been arrested trying to smuggle an expensive vintage sports car out of Japan and Hirutani had been charged for allowing him to hide the cars he had stolen in a lock up garage he rented, while he made alterations to the cars number plates and paperwork.

When the police raided the lock up, they also found a quantity of cocaine. Hitutani was convicted of supplying a class A drug. So on top of the nine years he also received another ten for the drugs and four for his part in the car smuggling. It appeared he was going to be locked up for a very long time indeed.

After the court case was over, Koji apologized yet again to Yugi and Anzu. Jonouchi snarled at him. "I should knock your block off!" Mai held him back.

"No Jonouchi, I think we have all had enough violence, don't you?" She had become an expert at controlling his outbursts.

"Yeah... Think yourself lucky I got a good woman to calm me down, or you'd be dead," Jonouchi glared at him.

"And you would be locked up with Hirutani!" Anzu wanted to slap him. "Will you ever learn?!"

"Nope, he wouldn't be Jonouchi if he didn't fly off the handle once in a while," Yugi laughed.

"Meh, I ain't gonna argue with that! C'mon, who wants a burger? My shout."

"You're on Jonouchi!" Yugi grinned. "And after you can all come back to my place for a game of Duel Monsters, it has been a while since we all played." He turned to Koji and offered a handshake. "I no longer feel any anger towards you, so why don't you come with us Koji?"

Tentatively, Koji accepted the handshake. "T.. thank you, I don't deserve your forgiveness..."

Jonouchi interrupted him. "Cough! No you don't." His comment earned him a slap from Mai.

Koji continued. "But if you don't mind me tagging along, I will pay for the meal. It's the least I can do after what I did to you all."

Everyone nodded in agreement. After all, life is too short to harbour grudges.

The End.

* * *

**Bit of a pants ending. I found it rather difficult to finish this off without it being all friendship speechy.**

**I have no idea how long prison sentences are in Japan for said crimes! I know that in the UK some of the sentences given out are pathetic, but I don't know about other countries laws.**

**Please review.**


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